BUFORD, Ga. — After two years of drought and a recession, Tuesday's tornado was the last thing needed for a set of Buford plant nurseries.
Worker Oscar Sorto hauled away pots of delicate elephant ears plants from destroyed greenhouses and placed them into waiting trucks on Wednesday morning. He was working in one of the greenhouses just minutes before the storm hit.
"We're lucky," he told Channel 2's Richard Elliot.
The twister that wrecked the nursery where he works flattened homes in the subdivision across the street.
The storm also heavily damaged two neighboring plant nurseries on Gravel Springs Road.
Premier Growers suffered the most extensive damage. Most of its heated greenhouses were destroyed.
"The greenhouses were pretty strong, and the metal is bent," said Premier Growers co-owner Lewis Sharp. "Every post is bent. It must have been an incredible storm."
Employees rushed throughout the morning to relocate the most delicate plants, so they wouldn't be exposed to the frigid temperatures. Sharp said he is just thankful none of those employees were hurt.
Next door at Gravel Springs Nursery, co-owners Scott Mozingo and Andrew McConnell were trying to assess the damage to their property. Greenhouses were ripped up, and potted plants were flipped over.
"Hopefully we can get all the plants under plastic and cover and just go from there," McConnell said.
McConnell said they were just trying to stay on their feet in light of monetary and ecological challenges brought by the drought and recession.
"When you think you're about to pull out of it and getting back on our feet, something like this happens," said Mozingo.
They had five employees on site when the storm hit. Luckily, no one was hurt. Neither nursery knows the cost of repairing their businesses.
WSBTV
