After hunkering down for the storms that swept across the state Monday night, Jim Czack woke up to downed trees and a barn 5 feet away from where he remembered it being.
Czack, a Loudon farmer who raises chickens, goats and cattle, said his property had never seen damage like that from this week’s thunderstorms.
“Our barn shifted and lost the rear door (and) the lights above the door,” he said. “I have to reroof.”
The storms that hit Czack’s farm were part of a severe weather system that passed through New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine throughout Monday night and prompted the National Weather Service to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for the area.
According to the weather service, the storm brought wind damage and flash flooding along with lightning and torrential downpours.
Though thunder and rain contributed to the severity of the storm, Czack said it was the “sheer power of the wind” that caused the most damage to his farm.
However, fallen trees and toppled barns aside, Czack said none of the animals he raises were harmed by the storm.
Czack was not alone in having damage to his property, as the storm wreaked havoc throughout the state.
In Gilmanton, lightning strikes caused computers to shut down at town hall.
Boscawen’s seat of government suffered a similar fate, as the town municipal building was struck by lightning, shutting down main systems including internet access. As a result, Boscawen’s municipal building was closed for repairs Tuesday, though the library and police station attached to the building remained open.
Flash flooding resulted in reported road closures in Walpole and Westmoreland as well.
Now that the storm has passed. Czack said he will have to do extensive renovations to get his farm up and running again, while certain equipment and buildings were destroyed beyond repair.
“My greenhouse is a complete loss,” he said. “The barn will have to be jacked up and put back together.”
(Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.)