3 dead, 10 injured after tornado hits N.C.

A damaged vehicle sits among debris after a deadly tornado tore through Brunswick County, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. North Carolina authorities say multiple people are dead and others were injured after a tornado ripped through Brunswick County, leaving a trail of heavy destruction. (Emily Flax/Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:36 AM PT – Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Three people are dead and 10 others are injured after a tornado demolished several homes in North Carolina. The tornado hit late Monday night in Brunswick County, in turn, leading the local fire department to deploy search and rescue teams.

Authorities secured gas leaks in the area and conducted thorough searches as soon as daylight broke on Tuesday morning. The tornado came as part of the same freezing snowstorm, which devastated Texas on Monday.

At least three deaths, a number of injuries and damage to dozens of homes caused by a fierce tornado in Brunswick County last night. I have spoken with Sheriff Ingram and County Commission Chair Thompson, and the state has sent help. Our prayers are with them all. – RC

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) February 16, 2021

An emergency services official said all missing persons have been located. The county’s commissioner, Randy Thompson, noted the community came together in helping each other.

“We have families reaching out to their neighbors and assisting their neighbors at this time,” he stated. “We have many residents that have been relocated because of the damage to their homes, to their neighbors…we’re currently in the process of setting up a shelter.”

Brunswick County and much of the surrounding areas have remained under a tornado watch as storms continue.

Fallen trees litter the ground after a tornado tore through a residential area of Brunswick County, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, killing multiple people and injuring others in its trail of destruction. (James Lee/The News & Observer via AP)

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