Homeland (former Winn Dixie) in Marietta, OK destroyed by EF4 tornado

[biggins]

This is a tough loss for this small community of about 2,500 residents, and was the only full service grocer in Love County. This was originally built and operated as a Winn Dixie (early 80s)until they pulled out of the TX/OK market in the early 2000s.

This tornado also caused major damage to a large Dollar Tree distribution center across I-35 to the west just moments before.

Image source: Love County Sheriff Dept

[HoustonRetail]

This is tragic, I hope Homeland is able to build a new store. Only grocer in the county certainly creates the need.

[BillyGr]

This is tragic, I hope Homeland is able to build a new store. Only grocer in the county certainly creates the need.

Should be able to - wouldn't even be surprising (since we are heading into the warmer weather) to see part of the lot cleared up and a large tent appear for temporary use, as has been done at other locations. We had one here years ago with a Grand Union that had a fire, used tent for the warm season and then people had to go to another GU about 10 miles away in the winter, that area gets far more traffic in the warm season being on a lake, and just saw one up in Alaska where the roof had collapsed from snow and they used a tent for the summer and worked out of a beverage center in the area in the colder weather until the new store opened recently.

[storewanderer]

I'd expect them to rebuild. If insurance won't cover it I'd expect some kind of Federal assistance would cover at least some kind of a replacement store. Might be a Dollar General style structure but I'd expect some sort of replacement. To be fair that lower cost type of structure also can be built much faster.

[wnetmacman]

That's ugly. There are dozens of that store model throughout the southeast that could come apart just like that - and have. Winn Dixie had tons of those. I know of at least two Super 1 Foods locations in that store model still operating near me.

If you look at Google Maps, it also took out the Dollar General next door to WD too.