Source: Logan Mock-Bunting / Getty
*Photo is from previous storm.*
A tornado touched down Wednesday afternoon north of Rocky Mount, near the communities of Battleboro and Dortches.
As reported by WRAL, 16 people were injured by the tornado, with two facing life-threatening injuries. Dozens of homes and buildings were damaged or completely destroyed.
The National Weather Service confirmed that it was an EF-3 tornado, the second-ever to hit North Carolina in the month of July.
An EF-3 is the fourth strongest type of tornado, with winds of up to 150 mph.
Meteorologists report that the tornado may have covered a path as long as 20 miles within Nash and Edgecombe counties. The debris wall was about 2 miles wide near Interstate 95 in Nash County.
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The Pfizer building in Rocky Mount had its roof torn off, and much of the plant was destroyed. Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone tells WRAL that he heard reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine being completely destroyed.
The distribution and storage buildings were destroyed, and more than 100 vehicles and storage trucks were damaged.
Pfizer says that they are “assessing the situation to determine the impact on production.”
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