Pine Hill Plastics hit hard by winds

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON News Editor for the Southern Standard

Pine Hill Plastics co-owner Lonnie Capshaw surveys the damage outside his Smithville Highway business Friday evening. Three employees were at work when the tornado struck.

Pine Hill Plastics, located on Smithville Highway near the Green Hill Road intersection, was in the path of the tornado and sustained heavy damage. Co-owner Lonnie Capshaw said he was surprised to find his building was hit, even though he knew the storm was barreling down on the area.

?My wife and I had just finished supper and we saw the storm warnings on TV,? Capshaw said. ?I told her I was coming up here to see if there was any damage and when I got here I topped the hill and saw this.?

Among other damage, the storm ripped out a portion of the building?s back wall, leaving some of the company?s molding machines exposed. Capshaw said there was no way to estimate the damage.

?I have no idea,? he said. ?I?ve got finished product in there. There?s no way to tell right now.?

Donna McBride and Sandra Howell were two of three employees who were at work when the storm hit, having come in for second shift not long before the storm arrived. Both said the experience was terrifying.

?We were just trying to find somewhere to go,? said Howell.

?We were praying for help,? McBride added. ?Glass was flying everywhere. Thank the Lord nobody was hurt.?

Jan Grissom, who lost several large trees and had her garage demolished by the storm, said she was glad the winds narrowly missed her house, but was even more relieved there were no injuries.

?We went in the basement,? Grissom said. ?I?m glad it missed my house, but the most important thing is nobody in my family was hurt. I could stand losing my house, but not something happening to my family.?