Raleigh North Carolina News

Saturday, July 22, 2023 3:34AM RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — “It kind of all happened at one time,” said Natasha Withers as she recalled the moments 12 years ago when a tornado destroyed her home and community. She was out to eat when the storm struck her McKinely Mill subdivision in North Raleigh. She came home to destruction. “I was like, ‘Am I really seeing what I think I’m seeing?’” she said. “So we had left…

Rebuilding from the tornado damage is expected to take months, even longer for some homeowners in Nash and Edgecombe Counties depending on the type of insurance coverage, if they have any at all. For one couple, Mike Poythress and Deborah Moore their home was destroyed by the tornado and they say starting over doesn’t seem possible. Poythress says, “I’m 67 years old, she’s 65, and we’re both living on social security. Nobody ever expects to…

DORTCHES, N.C. — A Navy veteran, his wife and their dog, Sabot, are battered and bruised, but alive. Michael Poythress and Debbie Moore took refuge Wednesday in the bathtub of their Puckett Mobile Home Park in Dortches. The EF3 tornado sent the three of them flying. On Friday, the couple was released from the hospital. Poythress and Moore’s roof came off Wednesday, the tornado blew them away, and they were buried under remnants of the…

Friday, July 21, 2023 8:23PM ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) — More than 60 children ducked for cover as the EF-3 tornado in Nash County nearly destroyed their daycare. St. Stephen’s Loving Daycare Center in Rocky Mount sustained damage to a few windows, lost a bevy of trees and will have to completely replace its playground. But amazingly, the tornado skirted around the daycare building filled with 67 children from infants to 12-year-olds. Owner Carolyn Slade…

DORTCHES, N.C. — A Navy veteran, his wife and their dog Sabot are battered and bruised, but alive. Michael Poythress and Debbie Moore took refuge Wednesday in the bathtub of their Puckett Mobile Home Park in Dortches. The EF3 tornado sent the three of them flying. On Friday, the couple was released from the hospital. Poythress and Moore’s roof came off Wednesday, the tornado blew them away and they were buried under remnants of their…

EDGECOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Recovery efforts continued in Nash and Edgecombe Counties on Thursday night following the devastating EF-3 tornado that touched down on Wednesday afternoon. With estimated wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, the tornado caused significant damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. In Nash County, the tornado touched down near the town of Dortches and tracked northeast for 16.5 miles. The path of destruction included the Belmont Lake Golf Course,…

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The CEO of Pfizer announced Friday the company is planning to pay all employees during the closure of the Rocky Mount plant devastated by Wednesday’s EF-3 tornado. The company has set up assistance programs for wellness and disaster recovery. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla visited the plant Friday at 4285 N Wesleyan Blvd. in Rocky Mount. “We are very inspired to see how this community is pulling together,” Bourla said. “I spoke…

Friday, July 21, 2023 2:54PM NORTH CAROLINA — As people impacted by Wednesday’s tornado in Nash County, people and some businesses are doing their part to help. Friday, Food Lion announced they’re one of those businesses trying to make it a little easier for its neighbors and consumers in parts of Nash County. The grocery store chain is giving away free water and a $20 gift card as a part of responding to the increase…

Friday, July 21, 2023 1:51PM ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) — Crews are still working to assess the damage at the Pfizer plant in Rocky Mount. This afternoon the company’s CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla, is expected to visit the plant hit hard by the tornado earlier this week. Pfizer is the largest employer in Nash County with more than 2,000 employees. The factory makes nearly 25% of Pfizer’s sterile injectable medicine used in hospitals all across…

Tornado survivors in Nash County are surveying the damage after their homes were ripped to shreds by the strongest tornado to hit central North Carolina in 12 years. “We’re just blessed no one was injured,” Brian Varnell said after three of his family’s homes were destroyed during Wednesday’s EF-3 tornado. “These are all material things that can be replaced,” he said. While the frequency and intensity of tornadoes have remained fairly steady in recent decades,…

Friday, July 21, 2023 1:52AM ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) — A Rocky Mount couple living in the Belmont Lakes Preserve recounted their brush with an EF-3 tornado during Wednesday’s storms. Homeowners Mark and Joyce spoke with ABC11 on Thursday while roofing teams worked on their home that had its roof torn off and windows blown out. “I was just entering the house and said ‘Mark do you know there’s a tornado warning?’ And he said…

EDGECOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Recovery efforts continued in Nash and Edgecombe Counties on Thursday night following the devastating EF-3 tornado that touched down on Wednesday afternoon. With estimated wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, the tornado caused significant damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. In Nash County, the tornado touched down near the town of Dortches and tracked northeast for 16.5 miles. The path of destruction included the Belmont Lake Golf Course,…