FAYETTEVILLE – Tornadoes spawned in the wake of what was once Hurricane Florence ripped through parts of eastern North Carolina on Monday.
At least four confirmed tornadoes touched down in Wayne, Sampson and Wilson counties, areas already inundated by heavy rain and flooding.
No injuries were reported, though there was property damage in Elm City in Wilson County and in the Sampson County town of Roseboro where a funnel cloud tore a roof off a building, said Town Commissioner Richard Barefoot.
Barefoot and his wife Laura live near the center of town and were awakened early Monday by a cell phone alert.
“We were laying in the bed, and I said let’s get out of the bedroom and get in the hallway.”
The tornado touched down about a block away, Barefoot said. As it moved on it damaged some chicken houses that are part of poultry operations.
National Weather Service meteorologists said all tornado watches in North Carolina had been lifted by 9:30 a.m., meaning the threat had passed.
Other reports of tornadoes would be investigated, weather service staff said.
by Joel Burgess (2018, September 17) Asheville Citizen Times
