First appeared in USA Today
Nick Shelton achieved a life-long ambition in August, when
he opened his auto repair shop in Henryville, Ind., across U.S. 31 from the
town's school complex.
Sheldon, 42, had so much business by late February that he
was ready to hire one or two employees. Then his shop was reduced to rubble by
a tornado.
Clark County Commissioner Ed Meyer said early estimates are
that 580 businesses and homes were destroyed or seriously damaged in Clark
County in the storms on Friday.
An estimated 30 tornadoes packing winds of more than 110 mph
hit the Midwest and South, according to the National Weather Service. The
storms left 40 dead across five states.
Businessmen who lost everything, like Shelton, were hoping
to start over. Many faced the same challenges in West Liberty, Ky., where business
remained at a standstill as crews worked to restore power and telephone lines.
Linda Oakley was taking stock at her workplace, All Occasion
Flower Shop, a 20-year staple on Main Street where silk flowers garnished the
sprawl of glass and debris across the showroom floor.
Oakley said the tornado capped a tough year for the store's
owner, Cheryl McKenzie. McKenzie's husband died in April. She lost a brother
two weeks ago, and the family dog recently ran away.
"She's been through a lot," Oakley said through
tears. "She's lost so much."
The building may be condemned and some of the merchandise
destroyed, but "we are going to try to set up business so that we can
start bringing in normalcy," Oakley said.
Officials in West Liberty were focused on restoring power to
Lion Apparel, a clothing manufacturer and the town's largest employer with
about 220 workers. Business was likely to resume there early next week.
"I don't know of anything that made it," West
Libery Mayor Jim Rupe said. "Every business in town is down."
The New Washington State Bank branch in Henryville didn't
have electricity, but around 10 a.m. employees opened the doors and began
cashing checks and handling withdrawals, bank President Pat Glotzbach said.
Interest-free loans of up to 90 days also were available to
those awaiting their insurance checks, Glotzbach said.
"The bank needs to be open," Glotzbach said.
Transactions were being written down and taken to another branch to be entered
into the bank's computer system, he said.
Linda Carpenter, 66, a Henryville resident, returned to work
Monday at Tanner's, a retailer selling food, hardware, bait and other items.
Carpenter said she mostly cleaned up the store to get it open.
Over the weekend, with no grocery store open in town, banks
closed and ATMs down because electricity was out, she drove 7 miles to
Charlestown for cash and food. She enjoyed the trip, despite its inconvenience,
she said, because it was "nice not to have to see all the damage" in
Henryville.
