Sunset Beach, North Carolina – At least three people were killed when a possible tornado struck at night in Brunswick County, leaving a trail of damage, the sheriff said.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said the tornado fell on the Seaside Road and U.S. Highway 17 area after midnight. Officials reported serious damage, including gas and tree leaks and downed power lines.
The most severe damage was recorded in the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood, where all three dead and dozens of homes destroyed or damaged were reported. In addition to the three dead, at least ten people were injured.
Kate Gentle, a resident of Brunswick County, lives five minutes from where the tornado touched, she told WRAL News that she had spent Monday evening at her son’s lacrosse game and had no idea there would be a storm .
According to Gentle, when the family got home, they experienced strong, regular thunder and lightning. Then, Gentle said, everything fell silent. He put his children in a closet and just before the tornado warning came.
“You could say something wasn’t right,” he said.
Gentle’s family and home are fine, but she said she is “heartbroken” by people in her community who weren’t so lucky.
Sheriff John Ingram said during a press conference that teams will learn more about the extent of the damage as the sun rises. He called for people who were not owners or who did not help the victims to avoid the area, as the crews work to clean the streets.
More than 16,800 customers were without electricity in Brunswick County at 5 p.m.
The Wilmington fire department said teams requested by the state emergency management were deploying to locate the missing people and that a risk team was responding to a propane leak.
According to the U.S. Census, it is estimated that approximately 140,000 people would reside in Brunswick County in 2019.
The storm is part of the largest weather system bringing brutally cold temperatures to much of the United States, including a paralyzing ice storm that has walled up Texas, causing massive power outages.
Storms will continue in the area and tornado clocks are still in effect in eastern North Carolina, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.
Areas north of Wilmington, including the outer banks as far as Elizabeth City, remain under surveillance until 8 a.m., he said.