3 dead, 10 injured in Brunswick County tornado

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Last SlideNext Slide

Updated 8:23 a.m.

According to Corey Thurlow from the Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation, around 35,000 people were out of power after the tornado first hit.

By around 5 a.m. that number decreased to around 3,000 people out of power, which is still the case. The corporation is working with the county to continue to restore the remaining outages.

Thurlow didn’t have a concrete estimate for when the remaining 3,000 people will have their power restored but said based on the information he has, he expects it to be restored at some point tomorrow. 

“But its really going to be based on that effort with the county to access damage and follow behind them,” he said.

Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation said they anticipate about 3,000 people who are without power as of 8 a.m. Tuesday should have power restored by Wednesday.

 (Photo: CONTRIBUTED)

————————

Updated 8:03 a.m.

A national weather service survey team will be heading to the area around 10 a.m. to find out more details about the tornado, said Dave Lowenthal, weather forecaster at the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office.

“Other than the pictures we’ve seen in the media, we haven’t had a chance to do a survey yet,” he said.

Lowenthal said more information will be released this afternoon.

————————

Original story

A tornado touched down early Tuesday in southern Brunswick County, killing three people, injuring 10 and damaging at least 50 homes.

Debris and damage from a tornado that touched down near Ocean Isle Beach Monday night.

 (Photo: Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office)

Brunswick County Emergency Services responded to the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood near Ocean Isle Beach Tuesday morning after a tornado and severe weather hit the area, according to a press release from Brunswick County.

The storm also damaged several power lines in the area, causing power outages, according to the release.

People are advised to avoid the area as crews work to mitigate potential risks due to debris and downed power lines.

Emergency crews from Brunswick County Emergency Services and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene as of 6 a.m., assessing the area for additional residents in need of assistance.

Debris and damage from a tornado that touched down near Ocean Isle Beach Monday night.

 (Photo: Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office)

Brunswick County has opened a temporary shelter for individuals displaced due to the incident. Individuals who need assistance can shelter can contact Emergency Services at 910-253-5383.

In addition, all Brunswick County schools will be closed to students and staff on Tuesday because of the widespread power outages.

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/02/16/brunswick-county-tornado-causes-deaths-damage-ocean-ridge-plantation/6761349002/