‘Life turned completely upside down’: Dozens in South Jersey still not in homes one year after Ida tornado

Marianne Eachus still can’t shake visions of the tornado that slashed through her farm one year ago, shearing barn roofs, toppling 80-foot-tall silos, and flattening cornfields — a force so fierce it lifted one cow and dropped it in another field, nearly rent in half.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida became one of the area’s worst natural disasters ever, killing 30 in New Jersey and five in Pennsylvania. Fed by tropical moisture scientists believe was primed by climate change, Ida roared in Sept. 1, 2021, causing catastrophic flooding over eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and central and northern New Jersey.

Adding to the devastation: Multiple tornadoes — the strongest with winds of at least 158 mph — plowed through Gloucester County directly into homes and racing toward Eachus’ Wellacrest Farms, the largest dairy in New Jersey.

The farm suffered at least $1 million in damage and lost 45 cows, many of which had to be euthanized because of injuries. Nearby Grasso Farms, which grows produce, was also walloped.

“We didn’t rebuild as much as we could have and didn’t replace a couple of the barns because financially we couldn’t,” Eachus said. “A year later, we’re still dealing with insurance issues.”

For Eachus, and dozens of residents of Gloucester County still not back in their homes, the biggest toll might have been emotional.

“It was overwhelming,” Eachus said last week. “It was devastation. I never want to go through that again.”

The tornado that tore through Gloucester County damaged homes across multiple towns, though no one died in the tornado in New Jersey. Harrison Township, which includes prosperous Mullica Hill, was particularly hard hit. One person was killed in an EF2 tornado that struck Montgomery County in Pennsylvania.

“It’s very hard to describe if you haven’t lived through it as your house is getting blown apart,” said Troy Bonnenberg, whose Mullica Hill home was destroyed. “It’s difficult to understand the deep trauma.”

The family of one neighbor was so distraught after Ida, Bonnenberg said, that they sold their house and moved. They just couldn’t go back.

Harrison Township, home to 14,000, is marked by rolling cornfields and single-lane roads often slowed by farm vehicles. It has developed rapidly in recent years, and large custom homes now populate former agricultural fields. The median household income of $147,662 is well above the statewide $85,245.

Mayor Luis Manzo said 150 properties were severely damaged, and none received aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because of the families’ income and insurance coverage.

“Thirty-nine houses were total losses, meaning the storm itself tore them down, and they were gone,” Manzo said. “Others were so damaged structurally they had to be torn down. Of those 39 families, none have completely rebuilt or moved in. That shows you the impact.”

Manzo said some families could be in their new homes by October, but for others, it will be next year because of delays caused by planning, insurance, and supply-chain backlogs.

FEMA reimbursed the township $140,000 for labor and equipment rentals for storm cleanup. But Manzo said the cost would have been much higher if it weren’t for cadres of volunteers, many of whom came from out of town to help for weeks.

Eachus and others are astonished at the outpouring of help. She recalls Amish volunteers, connected to the town through a local market, who arrived each morning, gathered for prayer, and got to work.

Homeowners found that many insurers didn’t cover the full cost of the property damage, often depreciating the value based on age, meaning homeowners had to come up with the balance to rebuild. Irreplaceable are the precious family items, such as photographs and heirlooms.

One 50-acre forest tract saw 40 acres of damage, the mayor said, and the owner received an estimate of $600,000 for cleanup.

“On the positive side,” Manzo said, “you saw the incredible resiliency of people. There were fund-raisers, and packs of people were just showing up with rakes and chain saws saying, ‘Where can I help?’ It was incredible to see.”

Other Gloucester County communities were also hit. Michelle Contarino, a member of Wenonah’s school board, helped organize volunteer efforts there. She said the tornado came through “like a scene from The Wizard of Oz.” A tree limb crashed through the roof above where her in-laws would have been sitting if they hadn’t taken shelter in the basement.

The library in Wenonah, which also was in the path of destruction, became a fund-raising and volunteer hub.

“We coordinated meals for people who didn’t have food and didn’t have power,” Contarino said. “People dropped off donations. We sent out crews of men and women who helped clear streets and walkways. … Wenonah operated like its own little community of volunteers that really took care of each other during the worst of times.”

Bonnenberg and his family huddled in their basement on Marvin Lane in Mullica Hill as the tornado approached, their dog Ginger’s ears twitching rapidly as if indicating danger.

Within seconds, the tornado ripped off siding and chunks of the roof. Flying lumber rammed like missiles through the side of the home and into the Nissan Rogue parked next to the garage. Other debris shattered the rear window of the family’s Dodge Caravan, also parked outside. Wind ripped off siding.

The house had to be gutted.

» READ MORE: As tornadoes strike, horrified families watch their Philly-area homes explode around them

“Literally, my life turned completely upside down,” Bonnenberg, a nursing supervisor, said last week. “Everything you take for granted, like most of your belongings, were gone. So we had to buy everything again, like clothes. We had to rent a car. It’s just been such a giant inconvenience.”

Bonnenberg, his wife, and two children initially crammed into a condo owned by the couple’s older daughter but now rent a place closer to the house they are rebuilding.

Bonnenberg had built that home 10 years before Ida — his forever home, he said. For the last year, the family has been “picking out everything, the colors of the walls, the carpet, the floor, the kitchen,” he said. “I’m 60 years old; I just don’t want to go through this right now.”

The insurance company has been cooperative, Bonnenberg said, but often pays only a fraction of replacement costs.

He cited an item he might have paid $1,000 for when he bought his home. The insurance company might value the item at $400 because of depreciation. But that same item now costs Bonnenberg $1,500 to replace.

Supply shortages and the demand caused by the tornado for workers and material have contributed to delays, said Bonnenberg’s contractor, Charlie Kojeski. Trusses and windows, for example, that might normally take only weeks to ship, took months. Kitchen cabinets ordered in February still haven’t arrived.

Bonnenberg, however, hopes to be in the new home at the same location by November, though it might never be the same when clouds darken.

“Even if it’s just a simple thunderstorm rolling in, and you watch the clouds, you think, ‘Oh my God, could that be another tornado?’ It’s not rational, but something automatic.”

Despite the hardship, Eachus, the farmer, said the family has been “really blessed” that no one died, and by the at least 200 people who came to help or donate. The farm has put hundreds of thousands of dollars into rebuilding silos and barns with matching blue roofs.

The herd is back up to 600 milking cows through births of calves. It has 800 other younger stock, bringing the total to 1,400 animals.

The tornado left behind piles of debris that had to be cleared, caused $100,000 just in electrical damage, and forced the family to rebuild all the barns and sheds, and replace all its silos.

The costs came even as the dairy industry continued to struggle through tough times for milk prices, a pandemic, fuel increases, and now prolonged dry weather.

A GoFundMe campaign raised $122,885 of the $1 million the family estimates the farm suffered in damage. The GoFundMe money went to build a heifer barn, but the family still hasn’t been paid by the insurance company for about $200,000 in repairs. One barn, for example, was insured for $300,000, but the insurance company said it was worth only $157,000 because of depreciation. The family hired a public adjuster to help with the insurance process.

Regardless, they plan to stay.

“The farm was founded in 1943 and has gone through a lot of transition,” Eachus said. “Now, everything is basically new. So moving forward, it will be great for the next generations. And blue is a good color.”

“We had a lot of green before,” she said with a laugh, referring to pre-Ida. “But that didn’t work out.”