NC tornado | Rocky Mount begins cleaning up after the tornado originates from Helene and leaves a trail of damage and injuries

ROCKY MOUNTAIN, NC — The fallout from Helene affected all parts of our state.

The heaviest impact we’ve seen in our area is in Rocky Mount after a tornado came through on Friday. ABC11 crews are on scene as cleanup efforts are underway.

The 350-foot-wide tornado was an EF-3 with winds of 140 mph and traveled a quarter mile, according to the National Weather Service.

An auto repair shop and a restaurant were among 14 buildings on Tiffany Boulevard that sustained heavy damage, with some buildings having their roofs and walls torn away. Several vehicles were also damaged.

More than a dozen people were injured, two seriously, when a tornado touched down on a Rocky Mount shopping center.

This happened in the middle of the day with people outside and eating with friends and family.

ABC11 spoke Friday with witness Sonny Cardinelli, who was at the Hing Ta restaurant when the tornado passed through.

Cardinelli said he got as many people under the table as possible. He heard objects and debris falling on the table and around him.

“We were sitting there, we kept getting tornado warnings, and then some of my family members told me there was a tornado nearby,” he said. “So me and my granddaughter and a friend of hers… were sitting at the table, and I went to get my plate and when I saw the bells going around and everything starting to spin, I ran over and grabbed everyone I could and We went under the table. We were lucky.”

Keisha Justice was at her store, Pretty Essentials Women’s Boutique, in the mall when the tornado struck.

“The front is completely gone,” Justice said Friday of her company, which serves cancer patients.

Rocky Mount Fire Chief Darvin Moore said 15 people were injured, four seriously, as a result of the tornado.

Three deaths in North Carolina are among at least 44 confirmed storm-related deaths nationwide.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to linger over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend, the National Storm Center said. Several flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect in parts of the southern and central Appalachians. High wind warnings are also being issued in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.

Weather safety tips, resources

You can use the Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network to monitor water levels near you and determine which areas may be affected by flooding.

You can report a power outage at 57801, via the Duke Energy app or their website.

You can check for road closures due to the storm.

Weather safety tips, resources

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