Winter Storm Jonas Wreaks Havoc on East Coast Horse Farms
Roof collapse at TNC Equine Center Dillsburg in Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of Christy Stermer.
By: Brittany Bevis
According to the Huffington Post, at least 31 people have died as a result of the record-setting snowstorm that hit the east coast over the weekend. Dubbed Winter Storm Jonas, the blizzard caused 11,000 flights to be cancelled, eleven locations to declare a state of emergency, and even the U.S. federal government to shut down for a period of time.
Glengary, West Virginia recorded the largest snowfall of 42 inches from Friday to Sunday. At AQHA judge and horse trainer Steve Meadows’ facility in Staunton, Virginia, 26 inches of snow fell. It took fellow AQHA judge and trainer Rhonda Replogle two and a half days to clear out her property in Clear Spring, Maryland.
Clearing out the snow at Rhonda Replogle’s facility in Clear Spring, Maryland.
Sustaining perhaps some of the worst damage was Christy Stermer’s TNC Equine Center Dilllsburg in Wellsville, Pennsylvania. Over the weekend, approximately 30 inches of snow fell in the area, which proved to be too much for her barn.
“The weight of the snow caused the trusses to break away from the beam over the doorway to the field,” she says. “We heard cracking in the morning and saw it bowing. We got the horses out and it was 3:30 pm before it actually came down. We tried to get snow off the roof, but there was just too much for us to get off ourselves. We were running in and out of the doorway all day because we knew it might collapse.”
Later that afternoon, Stermer took a short ten minute break to change into dry socks and clothing. When she came back outside, the roof had collapsed. “We were only in there 10 minutes, and we came back out and it was down.”
After posting a help needed remark on Facebook, Stermer received an overwhelming amount of support. “We thought we were going to have to move the horses, because I never expected they would fix it so fast. We ended up not needing to move them, because our contractor got us water and electric, but the entire community was reaching out to help. My boarders were amazing too. They were there in an instant to help.”
Photo courtesy of Christy Stermer.
Currently, 13 horses remain on the property and are stalled within the area of the barn that wasn’t affected by the collapse or outside. Only a small section of the barn came down and some of it was salvageable, Stermer says. After removing the remainder of the snow from the roof and tearing down the damaged sections, builders got to work on repairs. “Now, they almost have a new roof on three days later!” she says.
Unfortunately, Winter Storm Jonas caused another unpleasant side effect for the Stermer household. What was originally the flu has now turned into full blown bronchitis for Stermer, so she’s relying on the help of her boarders for barn chores. “We really appreciate everyone who reached out to help.”
Looking back on the damage caused by this record-setting snowstorm, there isn’t much Stermer would’ve done differently. However, she does have a few helpful words of advice for fellow horse owners.
“It really couldn’t have been avoided,” she says. “It was just too much snow. It could’ve happened to anyone. My advice is to find a way to get the snow off your roof and just keep an eye on your buildings. Had I not been paying close attention, the horses may have been in and someone could’ve gotten hurt. After it fell, I thought to myself – we would’ve never been able to outrun that roof coming down. If you think something is wrong with your roof, don’t be like us and walk under it all day. We got lucky!”
Send us photos of the snow in your area by emailing b.bevis@equinechronicle.com.
