Leonard Burch says the experience left him shaken, but he’s thankful no one was hurt.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte business owner is thankful to be alive and unharmed after a confirmed tornado ripped through his warehouse in northeast Charlotte on Monday morning.
Leonard Burch, president and founder of Superior Mechanical, said he was sitting at his desk when the storm struck his company’s warehouse on Atando Avenue around 10 a.m. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado with 85 mph winds hit the building.
“I heard the rumble, the roar of the wind,” Burch said. “I jumped up to kind of see what was going on.”
Photos shared with WCNC Charlotte showed the scope of the damage, with debris scattered everywhere on the property. Burch said he watched as pallets from a neighboring company were launched into the air before receiving a call that his warehouse had been hit. The storm’s force ripped an entire section of metal roofing from the building, tearing out every screw in the panels and sending debris onto a neighboring trailer facility.
“I just honestly couldn’t believe it,” Burch said. “It literally ripped every screw out and pulled that whole section of metal up.”
Staff quickly moved water-sensitive equipment to safety. Roofers were contacted immediately and are expected to install tarps before replacing the damaged sections once the weather clears.
“Thank God that no one was injured,” Burch said.
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