What a month this has been! When we weren’t under a blanket of smoke from the Great Dismal Swamp fire, we were getting rattled by an earthquake. And now, we are getting a good bath from Hurricane Irene. Of course, the good news in all this is that Irene is certain to put out the Dismal Swamp fire, which should improve air quality for hundreds of miles.
The other good news is that we are in great shape to weather this storm. The barn complex is on high ground. In recent years, we have experienced several hurricanes and tropical storms and we’ve had a little practice in preparing for them. In the last several years, we have put a major effort into renovating and upgrading the structures on the farm. Everything is as solid as we can make it- and we have plenty of shelter, feed and hay. In a power outage, we have a generator on hand with extra gas to make sure that w can keep the well going to get water to the horses. We even have a backup plan if the generator fails- a 300-gallon water tank for bringing in water.
It is, however, soggy and unpleasant. And if the wind gusts exceed the forecast, we may have wind damage.
If you are in the path of this storm, please access the following Facebook link to locate available equine shelter in your area: http://www.facebook.com/HorseEvacuationsEast?sk=events
We understand that the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington has opened their facilities to those in need and we applaud them for this generous act.
Colonial Downs in New Kent, VA, is offering 1000 stalls for evacuating horse owners. The contact person for this effort is: Ruth Hopke at 804-381-8349
We hope everyone in the path of this storm remains safe. Our thoughts are especially with those horse owners and facilities closer to the coast, who will bear the brunt of Irene’s impacts. Be safe.
Photo by Accuweather.com
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