Man killed when tornado hits Wilson County; homes, school & 130-year-old church damaged

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A 60-year-old man was killed on Thursday when his home collapsed in a tornado. The tornado also caused severe damage to several homes, a nearby middle school and a 130-year-old church.

Family members said Bryan Barnes died when a tornado touched down early Thursday morning in Wilson County, damaging multiple structures in the area.

“It’s gonna take a while to set in. Cause it’s hard to believe,” Norman Toler neighbor said.

Neighbors like Norman Toler were among the first on the scene. He witnessed the tornado from his back porch.

The tornado was first reported at 2:51 a.m. Thursday in Lucama. WRAL News learned that at least 10 homes were damaged, including Barnes’ two-story home that collapsed on Lloyd Road.

“Looked out the back door and started praying and I saw all the debris flying, and I said lord, you know I worked all my life for this stuff right here. Please don’t take it. And I heard by buddy Brian’s house, and I jumped on my UTV and come up here,” Toler said.

At the scene, Toler and others discovered the shattered wreckage, but their friend was nowhere to be found.

Neighbors initially searched the surrounding fields before first responders focused on what they believed to be the bedroom, where they found Barnes.

“I miss Bryan cause he was a very good man,” Toler said.

Family members said Barnes grew up in the area and has lived there much of his life. On Thursday, they walked through what was left of his house and were left in disbelief.

Pam Berger, Barnes’ sister, said she knew the weather was bad when she heard the tornado warnings. She said texted her brother around 3:30 a.m. Thursday and never heard back.

A WRAL News crew was there as neighbors searched the area, calling Barnes’ name to make sure he made it outside safely. Tragically, he did not survive, and search and rescue crews pulled his body from the first-floor bedroom.

His sister said Barnes was a wonderful person. She pulled an Allman Brothers record from the wreckage and is planning to leave it for his adult children.

Neighbors had told WRAL News they were concerned because a man in his 60s lived in the home, and his truck was in the driveway. Barnes was not answering his phone, and his bedroom was on the ground floor, neighbors said.

The other homes damaged in Wilson County were searched and cleared.

WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth said the field surrounding the home was littered with debris and items from inside the home, like throw pillows and other personal belongings.

The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office asked people to avoid the area of Wiggins Mill Road and Lloyd Road, where the tornado touched down.

Roof torn off Springfield Middle School

Springfield Middle School was also badly damaged from the tornado. Photos show the extensive damage the tornado caused to the front of the building, which was built in 2000.

According to Wilson County Schools, the damage mainly impacted the sixth-grade and seventh-grade hallways, where sections of the roof are missing or damaged. Thankfully, no students or staff were inside the building.

A viewer sent WRAL News video of damage inside the school.

Wilson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lane Mills said: “This situation will be ongoing and we don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will be sharing information and next steps with our families and staff as we can. It was heartbreaking to see the school right after the event, and I want to thank all of the caring folks that have already reached out to offer assistance and support.”

Gov. Roy Cooper visited Lucama on Thursday to tour the school’s damage.

“Thank god the children were not there when this storm hit,” Cooper said. “What a devastating blow to this school…they have a lot of work ahead in repairing the school.”

WRAL News spoke with Seth Smith, who lives near the school. He said the tornado shook his house.

“My wife said she felt the house shaking,” he said. I didn’t notice it because we were in the shower stall. We got in our safe spot.”

WRAL News talked with Marcus Spell, the school’s former principal.

“I had to see it myself,” he said. “A lot of memories here, I spent 17 years in the building … it makes it hard to sit here and look at.”

Spell said he lives close to the school and multiple people sent him messages to ask if he was okay.

“A big part of this community — students, teachers, admins — they have sent me messages asking if I was alright,” he said.

Tornado destroys Wilson church

In addition to the homes and school, the tornado destroyed a historic Wilson church.

Pastor Tim Woodard said Friendship Primitive Baptist Church has been around for more 100 years.

“For a church 130 years old, it’s a blessing it could be here this long,” Woodard said.

Drone 5 video shows the full effect of tornado that touched down early Thursday morning. Woodard said he doesn’t question why things happen.

“This happened for a purpose and a reason,” Woodard said.

The damage is extensive, with water pooling around the pews and trees piercing the building.

Ernest Melton, a member of the Union Primitive Baptist Association, said he used to come watch his father and grandfather preach.

“I call it the ‘good time church,'” he said. “When you hear the word friendship you think about brotherly love. It’s just a happy feeling just to know you’re going to Friendship.”

Ruth Bailey, a Lucama resident, said the church’s spirit reached beyond its walls.

Their spirit reached beyond its walls.

“It’s a fixture here in Lucama,” Bailey said. “It’s been here as long as I’ve been living.

Friendship Primitive Baptist Church is part of an association of nine churches, so the congregation used the spaced monthly as opposed to weekly. The pastor said he doesn’t know if the building will be repaired.

Last NC tornado death in April 2011

North Carolina’s last tornado death was on April 16, 2011, when EF-3 tornadoes touched down in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Sanford.

In Raleigh, one of the hardest-hit areas was the Stony Brook North Mobile Home Park, where 27 homes were destroyed and four children died. A record number of 30 tornadoes were confirmed across North Carolina that day.

Debby prompted more than 18 tornado warnings on Thursday in central North Carolina and one Wednesday in Sampson County. Four tornadoes were confirmed Thursday in Wilson, Edgecombe, Franklin and Vance counties.

Tornado shakes Franklin County

Just northwest of Wilson County, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado tore through Franklin County, taking down several trees on White Level Road. There was more damage on Hickory Road, where the tornado downed power lines, brought down trees and caused widespread damage

Dwight Neal said he heard the rushing wind around 8:30 a.m. Minutes later, he witnessed the aftermath.

“We had five trees sit down in a hurry … [it was] very quick and very loud,” Neal said. “It didn’t last but a minute.”

In front of one home, trees littered the yard and windows were shattered. WRAL News spoke with the owner’s parents, who were grateful their adult son wasn’t inside the home when disaster struck.

There have been no reported injuries in the area, according to Franklin County EMS.