'It was just that fast': Edgecombe County wakes to tornado warnings, homes, cars damaged

Strong winds damaged multiple homes and toppled trees early Tuesday in Edgecombe County, where radar confirmed a tornado around 3:45 a.m.

Photos show significant damage to a home on Gay Street and downed trees on powerlines on School Street. No injuries or deaths have been reported after the storm.

Edgecombe County was under a tornado warning between 3:25 a.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday, the third tornado warning there in less than 12 hours.

Savanna Brooks, who was inside a home that was badly damaged, said her family woke up to her neighbor’s parents banging on the window and asking if they were okay.

“My dog’s barking, I was like, ‘We’re fine, why?,’ and they’re like, “The front of your house is gone,'” Brooks recalled.

Part of her roof was ripped off, and the home’s front awning was crushed. Brooks told WRAL News she was thankful for the wake up call.

“They are the ones that woke us up, they’re taking care of the kids right now inside her house,” Brooks said. “I’m so thankful for them.”

Along Old Wilson Road off N.C. Highway 42, giant trees were uprooted. The trees damaged vehicles and a fence in the area.

One tree narrowly missed a home. The homeowner told WRAL News she just lost her husband on Sunday, and she feels that he and God protected her overnight.

“He protected me, and I’m glad about it, that I’m able to talk to you this morning,” the woman said. “Everybody’s talking about, ‘It hit your car.’ I’m glad it hit my car instead of the house, because I was in the house. My life is more important than a car.”

Pinetops mayor: ‘It was just that fast’

Around 6:45 a.m., WRAL News spoke to Pinetops Mayor Brenda Harrell, who was walking around with neighbors surveying the damage. Harrell said when she woke up to an alarm on her phone at 3:30 a.m., she thought it was an Amber Alert.

“When I looked I said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a tornado warning, get up,'” Harrell said.

The town of Pinetops has a warning system – during a tornado warning, fire sirens will sound repeatedly for 10 to 15 minutes to alert people to take shelter.

“We heard that, and we knew it was an immediate threat,” Harrell said. “We grabbed our stuff and got into the bathroom, and by the time we got in the bathroom it was gone — it was just that fast.”

Harrell said she couldn’t believe it when she saw the damage reports on WRAL News.

“We’re very blessed,” the mayor said. “We’re just thankful no one was hurt. It could have been much, much worse.”

So far, there have been no reported injuries from the storm, but several homes were damaged. Storm debris, overturned trash cans, mailboxes and even groceries litter the ground after the radar-confirmed tornado.

Harrell said she always drives around town after a serious storm to “put more eyes out there.”

“It’s important for me because these are my people …. we are here to take care of them, that’s our job,” she said.

At 3:42 a.m., the National Weather Service confirmed the tornado via radar scans. Debris was detected on DualDoppler 5000’s “Debris Detector.”

It was shown in the same location as rotation detected using velocity scans.

A recent study finds that North Carolina ranks 12th in the country for nighttime tornadoes. That’s why it’s important to subscribe to weather alerts on the WRAL News app and keep your phone on when you go to sleep.

Edgecombe County schools delayed

Edgecombe County Public Schools operated on a two-hour delay Tuesday “due to the possibility of a tornado touching down in the Pinetops area,” the school district said, sending the following message to families:

“This delay will give us time to assess road conditions and check for any potential damage to our schools to ensure the safety of all students and staff. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. Stay safe and thank you for your patience and understanding.”

If you have any reports of damage in/near Pinetops, send them to us via ReportIt.

North Carolina’s new tornado alley?

WRAL’s Heidi Kirk will have a new report on why areas in Eastern North Carolina has experienced a cluster of tornadoes in recent years.

Residents have called the area North Carolina’s tornado alley. WRAL will break down what’s fueling the storms and why they could get stronger over time on Monday, May 19, at 6 p.m.