‘Everything’s gone’: Tornado destroys a Palm Beach County farm

By Rachael Perry

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    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A farm owner in Palm Beach County is still coping with the loss of all her hard work after a tornado tore through the property.

Monique Richter owns Blue Ridge Farms in Jupiter Farms where, on Oct. 9, a tornado ripped through the area. The property was left in pieces.

“I just heard this noise, like this rumbling noise. I just got goosebumps just thinking about it. I told my parents to get in the shower, and I grabbed my dogs, and we’d all just like hunker down,” Richter recalled.

The noise got louder, and she noticed debris flying around. Things only got worse from there.

“Big horse trailers were slamming into the property. Buildings were going across my property,” she said.

When it was all over, Richter said she went outside to see what happened.

“I looked and realized everything’s gone,” she added. “Like I put everything into this place for the last five years, and there’s nothing here.”

Thankful to be alive, Richter said she quickly ran to check on the horses.

“I ran to the other side of the property, and I realized that all the horses were alive. It didn’t touch the horses, and I just dropped to my knees and started crying,” she told WPBF.

Richter remembers praying and crying while feeling blessed no one was hurt. “It’s a lot of expense I wasn’t expecting, but I worked really hard to do it one time and I’ll just do it again,” she said. “I’m just so thankful and blessed that all these horses were alive.”

Walking around the property, she took note of the damage. Several buildings were destroyed, large trees and power lines down, fencing ripped out of the ground, and the roof of one building blown a half mile away.

Richter said the tornado destroyed roughly four buildings and took several structures down.

“We had weddings out there. We had weddings booked. We had huge things for charity events… all that’s gone, and that’s heartbreaking,” she said.

The word got out and the next day, people began showing up left and right. Each one willing to lend a hand.

“They all showed up with their bobcats and their gravel trucks,” Richter remembered.

Hundreds of volunteers started working to clean up the property.

“There’s a gravel truck picking up rafters from a building and then I have this sweet woman over here with a hat on and she’s doing cuttings and trying to make sure the landscaping is nice. I was like, I love this community,” she said.

Richter said there’s still a lot of work to be done, and they’ll take any help they can.

“My goal is November. We’re up and running and so then we could start making more memories for families,” she added.

The farm hosts several charity events and farmers markets throughout the year and Richter said she’s hopeful that will continue soon.

She said thankfully the donations they saved for Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch were spared in the storm and Furry Friends was able to pick them up this week.

Richter wants to thank everyone who has come to help along with those from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for volunteering their time.

Anyone willing to lend a hand or who wants to help Blue Ridge Farms rebuild can visit their website and Facebook page for more information.

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