A strong thunderstorm hit Stuttgart and the region North of Stuttgard in mid August. The storm was accompanied by hail in some places, such as Korntal-Münchigen, about 20 km away.
In the horticulture sector, the farm Busch Gemüsebau with their lettuce production was hit hard. The business is comprised of 7,000 m² of glass greenhouses and 3,500 m² foil greenhouses. Half of the glass houses were German frame mounted structures. All of these glass houses were destroyed. In the other half, which are venlohouses, there were losses of about 40%. The usage of durable 4mm float glass was beneficial. All over the farm, the screening systems underneath the glass were damaged correspondingly to the outer damages.
Any produce which was planted underneath the glass had to be discarded. Due to the production it is also necessary to remove the top soil level. The strong rainfalls furthermore caused some damages in the marketing hall and the office equipment which was kept there.
The horticulture insurers visited the farm the day after the storm to get an idea of the damages. After thorough evaluation the damages are estimated to be between 400,000€ and 500,000€. The first payments for the repair works were sent out just a few days after to make sure the glass can be purchased in a timely manner.
Around ten other farms were affected by the storm as well, although the losses were significantly smaller. Most of these businesses cultivate on open fields. (GV)Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
