A tornado ripped through parts of Brunswick County in southeastern North Carolina just after midnight, killing at least three people, injuring at least 10 more and leaving others in their homes, authorities said. The sheriff’s office called the damage to many homes “ devastating, ” especially in the Ocean Ridge Plantation area. Authorities said at least 50 homes had been affected.
The twister has also brought down power lines, WWAY-TV, an affiliate of CBS Wilmington, North Carolina, reports. There was no word on how many people were detained.
The station said emergency responders went from house to house in Ocean Ridge Plantation. Some houses there were torn from their foundations. Many trees were broken in half.
Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram told a press conference early Tuesday that the scene “is like I’ve never seen before. Much destruction. It will be a long recovery process.”
The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued a tornado warning late Monday evening, saying a twister had been confirmed near Honey Island, according to WWAY.
The weather service posted some damage on Twitter:
Brunswick County Emergency Management said people were trapped in houses.
The Wilmington Fire Department also took the following to Twitter:
At 1 a.m., the Leland Fire Department posted on Facebook that its units were providing mutual assistance to the Ocean Isle Beach Department to assist with rescue operations.
“Please stay home and stay away,” the department wrote.
The Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation said thousands of homes and businesses lost power.