A tornado measuring at least an EF-2 struck the Nash County area of North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon.
The tornado reached wind speeds of at least 135mph, and ripped a path through the region, 45 miles northeast of Raleigh, damaging a slew of major infrastructure, according to CNN. It first touched down in Dortches, then crossed the I-95 into Rocky Mount. At least four people have been treated for minor injuries, a UNC Heath spokesperson told the outlet.
Pfizer’s Rocky Mount facility was almost flattened, with footage circulating online showing the intense damage to a significantly-sized building and its surrounding area. It appears there were no injuries during the extreme weather event.
TORNADO AFTERMATH: A large twister caused significant damage to a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. #NC pic.twitter.com/dJRfCyXTFk
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) July 19, 2023
“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,” Pfizer said in a statement shared on Twitter. No further information was provided on what was damaged, or how the incident will impact the company’s research, production, and distribution. (RELATED: Giant Solar Catastrophe Could Start By The End Of 2023)
Trees were also hurled onto the I-95, shutting down traffic in both directions for an hour or so. While crews are still determining the full extent of the damage, it is believed the tornado ranked as an EF-2. The scale goes from EF-0 to EF-5, suggesting this was a moderately-sized tornado, which is surprising given the damage.