either get out in the drifts.. or quit worrying about it ... you need to GENTLY knock off whatever excess weight you can ... so that they can begin to start becoming more upright ... anything broken will have to be pruned out in spring .... some may need to be wrapped with twine to get them back up ... and some might need to be staked ... but most.. will be able to solve the problem themselves ... only time will tell .. peeps in snow country.. avoid these for the reason you have discovered... or they tie them up in fall.. or insure that they are single leader plants to begin with... of which.. none of that is helpful to you now ... see how it all goes.. and snap us some pix.. if you want specific help on specific plants... in spring ... good luck ken

it is a conifer.. not a shrub.. there is a conifer forum... but i really dont care where you post ... and will answer it here ... ignore it... you will do more harm than good trying to dig it out ... pix and a new post in the conifer forum in spring.. and we can tell you how to fix any problems that might result ... snow.. per se.. in and of itself.. is not an issue ... the weight of the snow.. and how it was tossed onto the plant is ... bent branches will most likely pop right back up... if any were broken.. those parts will be removed.. it might not be the best place for much of anything.. if snow will happen every year ... ken

Actually, Emerald arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd') is one of THE MOST prone of the arborvitae cultivars for splaying open due to heavy snows. This is because the wholesale plant producers need to produce their plants as quickly as possible for maximum profit potential. A nice full plant will also sell much quicker/be more attractive to consumers and so the growers allow many low stems to develop and those stems ultimately become multiple leaders that splay apart in heavy snows. Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Wintergreen' is one of the best of the arborvitae cultivars for handling heavy snow loads because it tends to grow naturally with only one leader being produced. Any of the arborvitae cultivars can become plants that can tolerate snow loads as long as you start with small plants and allow only one leader to develop. Unfortunately, most of the plants that can be found in the nursery trade are already multiple-leader plants when purchased - with the notable exception of 'Hetz Wintergreen'. Mike

I think youve sited it well. Ive hardly seen any with a single leader. My experience is the more you nip at the top the more leaders it will develop.I would just let it fly and see what happens. If snow and winter winds are a concern, buy some plastic landscape chain and collect the interior main stems and bound them together...not gorila tight ...but somewhat snug....do that now, its easier than during a blizzard. Best of luck