When Hurricane Ida hit in late August of this year, SR1 was fortunate enough to have the damage that was dealt be minimal. One structure that didn’t quite survive Ida’s wrath was our hoop house.
A hoop house, much like a greenhouse, is used for growing plants in a more controlled environment than an open field. SR1 has been using our hoop house for agricultural education.
The small structure, which has been at SR1 for just over a year, was swept up by high winds overnight, causing it to partially lift off the ground and collide with one of SR1’s transportation vans. The van suffered minor scratching, but the following morning, the hoop house was found on its side, the crops growing within now exposed to the elements.
When the damage was assessed, it was determined that some of the metal poles comprising the skeleton of the structure were badly bent. Since then, the structure has remained uncovered pending repairs. On Friday, September 24th, those repairs began.
SR1’s newest team member and agricultural specialist Jailyn Smith worked with team members Dominique Triplett and Tamu Green to replace the bent poles. While the repairs were successful, the hoop house will still need to be secured to the ground to prevent further mishaps and correct the lean it has acquired from Ida’s strong winds.
The process is ongoing, but we here at SR1 look forward to being able to use our hoop house to grow fall and winter crops.