No one was injured in the accident as the store is closed on Sundays. Structural engineers were on scene Monday studying the situation, but it is believed the weight of the water falling Sunday evening caused the incident.
"We're in the process of investigating what caused it, but we have a feeling a lot of it had to do with the excessive rain that we had [Sunday] and wind associated therewith," said Mike Grant, vice president of marketing and acquisition for Melon D. Mimms Co. "We're already on site and we responded very quickly in both Hobby Lobby and any of the associated tenants. We are told they are very pleased with the response we gave. In fact we had our senior VP up there last night essentially orchestrating the various trades needed to get Hobby Lobby up and running a quickly as possible."
Although a time frame for the store's reopening is not available, Grant expounded on the method that may be used if approved by engineers for the building. Using a temporary support structure and a demising wall, Hobby Lobby may be able to reopen in a smaller space while construction is completed in the rear portion of the store.
Four units responded from the Cartersville Fire Department at the time of the incident and remained on the scene for about one hour. Crews said a riser pipe connected to the store's sprinkler system was ruptured as a result of the collapsed roof and caused some of the interior flooding.
Lt. Johnny Frasier of the CFD added crews were unable to stop the water for some time until the electricity was turned off. Crews evacuated neighboring store Big Lots as a precaution and reported some water inside the store. Big Lots was temporarily closed Monday morning as cleaning crews worked inside.
A press release from Hobby Lobby apologized for any inconvenience caused by the incident.
"Since we are closed on Sundays, no one was present when it happened, and we are thankful for that. We are currently assessing the damage and will work very hard to get our store re-opened as soon as we can. We are sorry for the inconvenience that this has caused our patrons," the release stated.
Downtown businesses washed in the flood
Businesses throughout the Cartersville downtown business district were caught in the path of a swath of fast moving water flowing parallel with the railroad tracks crossing Main Street.
Several places of business affected by the rushing water were able to clean up with brooms and mops while fans and dehumidifiers helped dry out others.
Along East Main Street, restaurants suffered from standing water, including Four-Way Lunch and Swheat Market. Just around the corner, The City Cellar was bombarded with a flow of water that left more than an inch of water on the barroom floor and about 14 inches in the beer cooler, said Bob Smith, owner.
Those restaurants, floored with either tile, concrete or wood were left damp but virtually unharmed, although concerns were voiced over problems that may arise from unseen water damage.
Further west in downtown Cartersville, another restaurant was invaded as a surge of water entered Moore's Market on Fite Street. Nearby homes on Herring Street were evacuated while employees at Moore's tried to hold back the water by putting towels and aprons under the front door. Water made it about halfway into the dining room, but caused no apparent permanent damage.
Other businesses however were not as fortunate. Keith Insurance and Specialty Accounting both were hit hard by the devastating water. The Keith Building on Leake Street suffered heavy damage with water levels inside the building measured at 23 inches. Just across the tracks though, Taylor's Farm Supply witnessed a near miss, as water came into the showroom but did not damage any lawn tractors, according to Steve Taylor, owner.
"We were on the verge of having something really, really bad," Taylor said, adding that one more inch of rain water would have caused a lot of damage to the business.
Specialty Accounting at 29 W. Main St. was taken by surprise as water traveling south, parallel to Erwin Street poured into the back of the office while neighbors to the north and east were left untouched.
Having just finished a complete remodel in November, owner Dianne Burwell was devastated to find the water damage when she arrived this morning.
"The whole back of the office was filled up with water," Burwell said. "The entire interior will have to be redone."
Crews were at work Monday ripping up carpet and assessing the damage. Cleaning crews estimated water damage 4-feet high on some walls.
Throughout the repair process, Burwell said no one's personal information was lost and the office will remain open. For the next three to four weeks, Specialty Accounting will operate primarily out of one room in the front of the building as crews work to fix the damage.
The Daily Tribune News was also heavily affected by the swelling current. About 18 inches of water was reported in the pressroom resulting in damage to equipment, supplies and production materials. The rear parking lot also suffered extensive damage.