MACON, Ga. — Storms from last Friday night left thousands of dollars in damage at a south Bibb County farm.
They're staying positive, but now have to put their lives and business back together after that powerful storm ripped through their farm last Friday evening.
Charles and Donna Skipper own the pecan farm, C.B. Skipper Farm. They were traveling to Florida when they got a call from one of their workers on the farm that the power was out at their home, trees were uprooted, and a chunk of their roof destroyed.
"We had to turn around and just stop everything we were doing and hurry back Saturday morning," Donna Skipper said.
They raise pecans, hay, chicken, and cows. Skipper says she's staying positive.
"My reaction from the beginning is like, "Well, God is going to take care of it," Donna Skipper said.
Donna Skipper says as bad as things are, anymore storms could be devastating.
"We'll be cutting down is some areas and of course the pecan crop will be cut down, so if you we get some wind, we could lose most of the orchard," Donna Skipper said.
The Skipper family has multiple orchards. They have about 800 trees. Donna Skipper said her son counted more than 230 trees has fallen over. Meteorologist Alex Forbes says the direction the trees fell is the same way the wind was going.
"It was likely straight line winds that went through there. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning at the time for 70 mile an hour winds and hail up to an inch and a half in diameter," Forbes said.
Forbes went to the farm to see the damage. He says hail damage played a role in the crop damage but this storm is different from the storm in April.
"Just because this event was not a landmark like the April storm was it still did a number on some property and caused an economic impact," Forbes said.
Skipper is hopeful for a better harvest in the future.
"I'm a born-again believer and I knew something good was going to come out of this, and it's coming that I'm going to have all-new things, all-new rebuilds, and I just know good things are coming," Donna Skipper said.