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FEATURE

Tornadoes Touch Down in Albany, GA

BY PETER A. SALINAS, GIADA INDUSTRY COMMUNICATIONS

Searches continued for missing persons including Albany, and sells more than 200 more days on the second storm. Usually,
four days after a confirmed, powerful units a month. His father, Colden, started when payments are due and customers
EF-3 tornado and other tornadoes ripped the business in 1963. The business has 104 don’t have their vehicle any longer, they
through large swaths of Albany, Ga. and employees. The Jan. 22 tornado struck just will call, or just not send in a payment.”
Dougherty County. It swept throughout to the north of his Albany location.
southern Georgia and surrounding states, With the tremendous damage, there will
killing at least 18 in the state and 5 else- Rainey said that for the most part the busi- be a lot of people looking for new vehicles,
where. ness district was unscathed by the pow- and Rainey said his stores are ready to an-
erful tempest that struck on January 22, swer the call.
Fortunately, we have not received any re- but entire neighborhoods in the city and
ports of Georgia dealers injured or busi- county were completely obliterated by tor- “These storms coincided with tax time,” he
nesses damaged from these storms. At nadic winds and falling trees. said. “We have more than 600 units in our
least one large buy here-pay here dealer inventory ready right now.”
and longtime GIADA member, Bob Rain- The first storm on January 2, Rainey said,
ey, is counting himself as lucky after hav- struck just to the south of his Albany loca- If dealers in the area need inventory, they
ing been spared from a large tornado near- tion, and was even closer than the tornado can still go to nearby Albany Auto Auc-
by on January 2. The huge tornado caused that hit weeks later, on January 22. tion. The auction, which is owned by Nan-
widespread damage in the City of Albany, cy Brooks, will celebrate its 45th anniver-
throughout Dougherty, and nearby coun- “We’re hopeful that they are not sharpen- sary February 23. The three-lane auction
ties. ing their aim,” Rainey said. is located just one quarter mile north from
the January 22 tornado’s path.
“Every employee we have made contact He said while he’s not sure how many of
with was not injured and we are thankful his customers’ vehicles were damaged in “All the employees and family we have
for that,” Rainey said. “We understand that the latest tornado, there was confirmed reached are safe and only a handful suf-
five employees’ homes suffered some dam- significant loss from the earlier storm. fered any damage to their homes,” said
age, mostly to roofs and windows.” Lawrence Boyd, auction general manager.
“We are aware that 17 vehicles were de- “We are still without power, but we are ful-
Rainey, owner of Rainey Used Cars. Inc., stroyed or nearly totaled from the first ly operational running on generators.” n
has seven locations in southern Georgia, storm,” he said. “We won’t know for a few

38 | GIADA Independent Auto Dealer FEBRUARY 2017