Hard Dock in Decatur closed indefinitely due to storm damage

DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) - A local restaurant in the River City is closing its doors until further notice.

In a Facebook post, Hard Dock announced its closure due to damage from Wednesday night’s storms.

A storm with a wind gust of 59 mph touched down on dock C damaging the awning.

“I’ve been sick all day afraid of what I might find,” said Sherie Bates rushed after work to ensure her boat was still intact, “This dock was pretty much just trashed.”

Bates said several members ensured to send her pictures of her boat throughout the day to ease her worries. The wind mainly blew debris onto her property leaving behind minimal damage. She said other members even cleaned up the debris while she was at work.

“My dock’s like its own little family,” said Bates, “So everybody was down here, or that could be, was down here this morning cleaning up.”

Chad Williamson also noticed minimal damage when he checked on his boat, but he says instances like these can still be terrifying.

“I don’t want anybody’s boat to get damaged,” said Williamson, “I don’t want to see anybody get hurt so yeah it’s concerning.”

He said he is counting his blessings that nothing terrible happened to his or other members’ boats, but he wants to play it safe with the threat of strong wind Friday morning.

“Tonight I’m prepping for tomorrow night and trying to open my windows so the wind will blow through, and not blow my windows out,” said Williamson, “You know we’ve got to tie turn down really secure or double tie them sometimes and make sure they don’t bust loose.”

He believes that in times of dangerous storms, people need to ensure they have their priorities in check at all times.

“Be safe, I mean you know. Life is more important than anything,” said Williamson, “It’s more than a boat. They build them every day. You can always get yourself another one.”

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