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,…

NASH COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — The destruction left in the wake of Wednesday’s EF-3 tornado shocked communities in Nash County. “I’ve never witnessed the damage that this tornado did,” said Todd Wells, assistant fire chief at the Red Oaks Volunteer Fire Department. “I look at the trees and you take a tree that I can’t wrap my arms around and it’s snapped off like a matchstick. I can’t believe it.” Wells has lived and worked…