Storm causes orchard to suffer losses

NEW WATERFORD -- With no power at Peace Valley Orchards, Dan Simmons said his family is losing business, and money.
Simmons said his family's business and his home, both on Adams Road in Unity Township, have been without electricity since thunderstorms swept through the area early Monday.
The family has apples from last year's harvest stored in coolers to sell all year. Every hour without refrigeration means the value of the apples goes down.
"We can't even answer the phones out here, so people probably think we've dropped off the map," he said.
Simmons said a search for alternative storage has so far been unsuccessful.
Simmons said the storms also damaged the orchards and this year's crop. There are about 370 trees per acre on the fruit farm, and about 100 trees were knocked down, with 75 uprooted. He said he hopes to put those trees back in the ground, but the ground is too saturated now to hold them. The other 25 trees were broken off and can't be saved, he said.