BELHAVEN, N.C. (AP) - The National Weather Service says it was an EF-2 tornado that struck rural Beaufort County, destroying two homes and damaging at least six more.
Meteorologist Jim Merrell of the National Weather Service office in Newport said the storm was up to 300 yards wide when it struck Monday. He said the storm’s track length hasn’t been determined.
Merrell said the assessment was based on damages observed at an area near Beach Ridge Road northeast of Belhaven.
Three people, including a woman who is eight months pregnant, are still in the hospital following the tornado touchdown.
Beaufort County Emergency Management Director John Pack said Tuesday morning that no one suffered serious injuries from the storm that destroyed two houses and significantly damaged six other homes on Monday afternoon.
The National Weather Service says video of the storm indicates a tornado touched down near Belhaven.
The woman and her family live in one of the houses that were destroyed, Pack said. They were saved because her husband saw the approaching storm and got them all out of the house, running to a nearby ditch for safety.
The woman was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville because she had equipment in her home that was monitoring her pregnancy. Pack said the woman is all right but will remain in the hospital until new equipment can be installed.
A total of five people suffered injuries during the storm. The Red Cross has been providing aid to those displaced by the storm and Pack said that all of the people whose homes were damaged or destroyed are with friends and family.
Power had been restored by 10 p.m. Monday to all customers but that power crews remain in the area to continue working on the power lines, Pack said.
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