EF-3 tornado causes extensive damage to a Pfizer medicine processing facility in North Carolina
Tornado touchdowns have been reported in Dortches and Battleboro. Officials said the damage near Rocky Mount was caused by an EF-3 twister with 150-mph winds. A Pfizer drug processing facility was severely damaged during the storm.
- Meteorologists with the National Weather Service believe a large tornado that formed east of Raleigh and impacted communities along I-95 produced EF-3 damage with winds estimated to be at least 150 mph.
While final survey results are still pending, the twister is believed to have been on the ground for several miles and cause extensive damage around Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
The Nash County Sheriff's Office received numerous reports of trees and debris covering roadways, including Interstate 95.
A 5-mile stretch of the interstate was closed for several hours as crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation worked to clear debris.
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Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told WRAL-TV there were some injuries in the area, with some people arriving at the local hospital to be treated, but there have been no reported fatalities.
At least one shelter was opened at a local college for storm victims.
During the height of the storm, at least 1,500 outages were reported in Nash and Edgecombe counties, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
According to the Forecast Center, the tornado was strongest ever reported in the Tar Heel State during the month of July.
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North Carolina Pfizer facility severely damaged in tornado
Watch: Pfizer facility seriously damaged in North Carolina tornado
A Pfizer facility in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, received significant damage after a tornado on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
The tornado that tore across the region also severely damaged a Pfizer facility in Rocky Mount, according to company officials.
"We can confirm that the Pfizer Rocky Mount facility was damaged by the tornado," the company said in a statement. "At this point, there are no reports of serious injuries. We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident."
The plant is a major employer in Nash County.
Massive tornado moves over Rocky Mount, North Carolina
This video shows a large and dangerous tornado moving through Nash County, North Carolina on July 19, 2023 wiping trees and debris up. (Video: Jacob Pitchford/TMX)
According to HealthCare Ready, the Rocky Mount Pfizer location provides about 25% of sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals and is one of the largest sterile injectable facilities in the world.
The Nash County Sheriff said he received reports that 50,000 palettes were damaged in the storm.
The facility handles a wide range of medical products, including anesthesia, therapeutics, anti-infectives and neuromuscular blockers.
Disaster response nonprofit HealthCare Ready will be at the plant surveying the extensive damage.
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