Just outside of Kinston, North Carolina in Lenoir county clean-up is underway after severe thunderstorms rumbled through. A tornado was also reported as being spotted in the area. Lynn Everett, who is North Lenoir’s fire chief, says he spotted the funnel cloud come down on his property on Fred Everett Road, that’s northwest of Kinston.
Everett later mentioned in an interview by WITN News that he saw a funnel cloud touch down. Ten trees on his property were blown down and pieces of vinyl siding were blown off his home.
Emergency services say there is a half-mile section in that area with numerous trees down and minor structural damage to homes. Firefighters are going door-to-door clearing debris. Emergency officials say 50-60 homes have light to moderate damage in Lenoir County. In some parts of Snow Hill reports included three-quarter inch hail.
Wilson County received a 9-1-1 call that a tree was down across Merck Road and Raleigh Road Parkway. Hail was also reported in Wilson County. A tree was reported down on power lines on Kelly Road outside Kinston. In Wayne County, there are reports of several snapped trees and a metal storage unit blown about 150 yards in Goldsboro. Hail was reported in several counties.
Though tornadoes can strike in an instant, there are precautions and preventative measures that people can take to increase the chances of surviving a tornado. Authorities such as the Storm Prediction Center advise having a tornado plan. When a tornado warning is issued, going to a basement or an interior first-floor room of a sturdy building greatly increases chances of survival. In tornado-prone areas, many buildings have storm cellars on the property. These underground refuges have saved thousands of lives.
Usually there are meteorological agencies that distribute tornado forecasts and increase levels of alert of a possible tornado such as tornado watches and warnings. Also, weather radios provide an alarm when a severe weather advisory is issued for your local area.
Unless the tornado is far away and highly visible, meteorologists advise that drivers park their vehicles far to the side of the road so as not to block emergency traffic and find a sturdy shelter. If no sturdy shelter is nearby then, getting low in a ditch is the next best option. Highway overpasses are extremely bad shelter during tornadoes so don’t use them. Apparently, this has been somewhat of an urban legend that they can be used and this is simply not true.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.
BM
Comments for this article are closed.