EF-3 tornado hits Rocky Mount; 15 injured, four seriously

ROCKY MOUNT, NC (WITN) – Mayor Saunders Roberson Jr. of Rocky Mount declared a state of emergency Friday evening after a tornado severely damaged part of the city and injured more than a dozen people.

There is extensive damage at a Rocky Mount shopping center after an EF-3 tornado with winds of 140 miles per hour struck Friday afternoon. The tornado lasted only three minutes on the ground before finally dissipating and traveling nearly .25 miles, crossing the intersection of North Wesleyan Blvd.

A powerful EF-3 tornado struck Rocky Mount, NC, Friday afternoon(WITN weather)

Much of the damage is at the Tiffany Square Shopping Center on Benvenue Road, across from Golden East Crossing Mall.

Widespread damage at Rocky Mount Mall; 15 injured, four seriously

Fifteen people were injured, including four with serious injuries, according to the Rocky Mount Fire Department.

According to Nash County Emergency Management, 14 buildings were damaged.

The National Weather Service says the tornado was on the ground for a quarter mile and was 350 feet wide. It lasted three minutes.

Due to the damage, Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson has declared a state of emergency through Sunday, September 29 at 5 p.m.

A brick building in the mall was leveled by the wind. It housed Respracare, a medical supply store.

Jermaine Slade was on his way to lunch with his brother when he said his truck started feeling the effects of the possible tornado.

“There was so much rain and all of a sudden my truck started turning and then I turned,” Slade said. “I was driving in and my truck was spinning all the way around and I kept saying ‘God, Jesus, Jesus’ and then it stopped.”

This is what remains of a medical supply store in Rocky Mount.(WITN)

This is damage caused by the Hing Ta Restaurant in Rocky Mount(City of Rocky Mount)

The Hing Ta Restaurant in the shopping center suffered heavy damage, while a nearby tractor-trailer overturned and several trees fell on buildings.

Alpha Automotive was also significantly damaged, with several vehicles at the company tossed by the storm.

Lisa Daniels was in a beauty salon in the mall and took cover in the back of the business. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Daniels told WITN. “I’ve seen it on TV, but I’ve never seen it in my life, so this is the first time I’ve experienced it in my life and I don’t want to see it again because it really damaged all our nerves .”

Nash County was under a tornado warning when the damage occurred around 1:40 p.m

“There’s a lot of devastation, my heart goes out to the families that were involved, including the business owners, but we have a resilient group of people and we will definitely bounce back,” said Rocky Mount Fire Department Chief Darvin Moore. said.

The state of emergency will end on Sunday, September 29, unless extended.

This is a photo from WITN's drone this afternoon. — This is a photo from WITN’s drone this afternoon.(WITN)