By Andrea Arnold
On Monday May 16, 2022 Dave Marsh was working in his yard when he decided it was time for a coffee break. He walked next door to Sarah Marsh’s for about an hour. They could see a storm coming across the valley.
“I thought to myself, maybe I should have brought my coat,” he said. “It rained some while I was there, but I didn’t think it was too bad.”
After it stopped raining, he headed home. When his yard came into view, he thought maybe someone had parked a tin trailer or something in his driveway because he could see the metal from a distance.
But when he got closer he realized that, no, that wasn’t the case—the wind had lifted the roof of his house straight up, and tossed it onto the lawn.
“I built that roof with Neil in 1983,” said Dave. “The original roof continued to leak and nothing we did prevented the leaking so we built the second roof over it. It’s lasted almost 40 years.”
The venting and chimney do not seem to have been damaged in the gusty removal. However, the small garden area below where the roof landed sustained some major damage. A maple tree lost a limb, a small spruce didn’t make it, and Marsh doesn’t hold out too much hope that his tamarack will survive. One bird house was lost in the event, the other is in need of repair. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the home itself was not damaged.
“There are a few scratches on the roof of the porch,” said Marsh. “The flagpole took a hit, and I’ve had a hard time explaining to the satellite company that my dish is broken. They say they need to test it to see why it isn’t working.” Marsh gestured to the damaged dish on the side of the house.
He is amazed that none of the trees near the house came down in the storm. He frequently walks the fields and has found a few large cedar trees that fell victim to the wind.
The remains of the roof have been dismantled and are neatly stored for the time being. Some of the lumber and tin are beyond usable, but they will salvage whatever they can for the construction of a new roof.
