By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — Several businesses along Gadsden Highway, in Trussville, were damaged on Thursday, March 25, 2021, when a possible tornado came through the area.
On Friday, crews were in the cleanup process at Jefferson Memorial Gardens, one of the places impacted. Eddie Seal, with the funeral home, said around 20 trees were taken out by the storm. Also damaged, an office annex and the funeral home itself. Flowers were also strewn about the cemetery, but no one was hurt.
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“We only had a little damage in the funeral home,” Seal explained. “Not in the lobby but one of the front offices had the ceiling collapse. We think that may have been due to suction, but we’re not sure. But from the lobby to the chapel and all of that, it’s fine. We don’t have any water leaks or anything. We lost the glass in the front door but for the most part, the funeral home is fine. It’s the annex that’s bad.”
Jefferson Memorial
Seal said the annex was possibly built around the 1940s as a farmhouse. The business uses the building for office space. One of the offices was destroyed, according to Seal.
“We’re not even sure at this point of the extent of damages to that building,” said Seal. “We are going to have to have more specialists come in and take a look at that building.”
Jefferson Memorial is continuing services and burials as crews remove trees from roadways within the cemetery. The insurance company was set to survey the damage Friday.
“We’ve got people working all over the cemetery right now,” Seal added. “We are still going to have our Easter Sunday Sunrise Service.”
Damage at Jim N Nicks.
Another business that sustained damage during the storm was the Jim ‘N’ Nicks BBQ, across the street from Jefferson Memorial. Management said workers and patrons inside the restaurant were able to hide in a cooler area and no one was hurt.
The storm damaged the outside of the building in the front and on the side, where the smokers are located. The restaurant lost power but was able to reopen before lunch on Friday.
Jacob Meyer, who was working at the restaurant Friday, said the situation could have been a lot worse.
“We’re just happy that everybody was safe and that we only sustained small amounts of damage,” Meyer said.
