PeakDash

correction

A previous version of this article incorrectly said that nearly a quarter of all sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals are produced at Pfizer’s Rocky Mount facility, citing a statement from the company. Pfizer later clarified that nearly a quarter of the sterile injectables produced at the facility are used in U.S. hospitals. The article has been corrected.

A large and destructive tornado tore a path across Interstate 95 in North Carolina during the early afternoon Wednesday, passing just north of Rocky Mount, or about 40 miles northeast of Raleigh. It was the strongest tornado on record to strike North Carolina during July, with winds up to 150 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A Pfizer facility in Rocky Mount was among the severely damaged locations. Video from an ABC11 WTVD helicopter showed multiple sections of the building collapsed, while trucks and their trailers were also tossed around the property.

Pfizer confirmed the damage in a statement to The Washington Post but said no one was seriously injured. Nearly a quarter of sterile injectables produced at the site are for use in U.S. hospitals, the company says, sending more than 400 million units out of the site each year.

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Large quantities of the Pfizer plant’s supplies were tossed about in the storm, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said. The now-damaged facility is one of the area’s largest employers.

“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” Stone said. Pfizer is still assessing the storm’s impact on production, according to the company’s statement.

WRAL in North Carolina reported dozens of homes and buildings were damaged and 16 people injured in the area, including in the town of Dortches, about six miles northwest of Rocky Mount. I- 95 and other routes in the path were closed in the aftermath as crews removed downed trees and other debris.

Webcam images posted to social media showed I-95 gridlocked after the tornado passed, but it reopened shortly after 3 p.m.

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Damage to homes was scattered around Dortches; at least several homes appeared to be destroyed.

“It’s devastation, but the main thing as far as we’ve heard so far, there’s not been any loss of life,” Dortches Mayor Jackie Vick told WITN News.

Those initially affected by the tornado had little lead time. A tornado warning was issued by the Weather Service in Raleigh moments before confirmation on radar and by people in the area.

Following the tornado touchdown, a tornado watch was issued at 1 p.m. for eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia, including the Virginia Beach area, that was in effect until 7 p.m.

Based on radar data, the twister touched down at about 12:30 p.m. and may have remained on the ground for about 30 minutes, tracking roughly 20 miles. Debris was lofted 15,000 to 20,000 feet in the air.

After a preliminary survey of the damage in Dortches, the Weather Service office in Raleigh rated the tornado an EF3 on the 0 to 5 Enhanced Fujita scale for intensity, meaning it produced winds up to 150 mph. It’s the first EF3 to hit North Carolina during July on record.

Multiple videos of the tornado showed it had rapid motion and was quite wide at times during its life span. Radar indicated the twister scattered debris up to two miles away.

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Tornadoes are relatively common in the region, although the most recent to impact Rocky Mount itself was in 1984, according to an online tornado database. Two tornadoes touched down just north of there on April 19, 2019, causing no damage or injuries.

A major tornado outbreak struck North Carolina in April 2011. That event delivered several EF3 tornadoes to the south and west of Rocky Mount, including parts of Raleigh. Another violent, long-track tornado tracked north of Rocky Mount in November 1988, killing four and also crossing I-95 in the process.

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