Glass Repair Begins in Downtown Atlanta

Reports indicate that much of downtown Atlanta was covered in broken glass in the aftermath of a tornado that swept through the area Friday night.

While the Georgia Emergency Management Agency begins cleanup efforts, glass companies in the area are just beginning to receive calls to repair broken glass throughout the Atlanta area.

Chris Sharpless, vice president of Atlanta Suburban Glass, a commercial glazing contractor just east of Atlanta, has been receiving plenty of calls this morning for glass repair work as a result of hail damage.

"I believe it's a bit too early [for repair work downtown] but I've heard there is quite a substantial amount of damage down there," Sharpless says. "I'm sure insurance people are on the scene today."

However, several companies located closer to the downtown area already had their hands full. Clearvue Glass on Marietta Street, only blocks away from the badly damaged Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Georgia State University, only had time to report that the repair shop was "extremely busy today," while a customer service representative at A Modern Glass & Mirror Co., a glass installation company that offers 24-hour emergency service for homes and businesses near the metro area, didn't have a second to break away from incoming work.

The tornado injured at least 20 people and damaged dozens of homes and businesses. On Saturday, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in the affected area.

"State resources are being made available to assist in the cleanup efforts," said Gov. Perdue. "I have also spoken to FEMA Administrator David Paulison, and we will continue to coordinate closely to marshal federal, state and local resources as we recover."

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