Conn. Landscapers Take Losses From Winter Storm

Much of the damage was done to the state's nursery and landscaping businesses, such as greenhouses and hoop houses "?u structures of sheet plastic stretched over bent metal hoops which account for more than $1 billion in sales, or about half of all agriculture in the state.

State agriculture officials say more than 120 farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in Connecticut by the massive storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas in the first week of February.

Agriculture Commissioner Steven Reviczky said the winter of 2010-11 was more destructive, but the 511 buildings that were damaged or destroyed then followed several snow and ice storms over a few months.

"This is a single storm," he said. "This is a significant loss."

The storm also killed livestock. Two cows died and two were injured in buildings that collapsed during the weekend.

Bob Heffernan, executive secretary of the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association, said farmers and agriculture officials do not yet know how much damage was caused. It could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, he said.

The weekend storm was the fourth since Tropical Storm Irene battered Connecticut in August 2011, followed by a freak snowstorm in October 2011 and Superstorm Sandy followed it last October.