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Brunswick County, NC Tornado – three dead, ten injured in storm
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A deadly tornado ripped through parts of Brunswick County overnight, leaving three people dead and at least 10 injured. Most damage occurred in the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood in Ocean Isle Beach.
A tornado warning was issued for southeastern Brunswick County near Grissettown around 11:39 p.m. A confirmed tornado was spotted near Honey Island, or 13 miles north of Shallotte at 12:00 a.m. At 12:07 p.m., an observed tornado was seen in the Delco area. The warning ended at 12:15 a.m.
From WWAY StormTrack 3 Weather Radar at 11:39pm EST, Monday night:
Strong rotating winds detected on radar when tornado warning was issued on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
In a statement released by Brunswick County Emergency Services early Tuesday morning, they reported an estimated 50 homes were affected by the incident and several power lines were damaged causing power outages. People are asked to avoid roads and other areas impacted while crews work to clear debris and downed power lines.
Due to the widespread tornado damage, Brunswick County Schools will be closed to students and staff on Tuesday. The district is expected to release more details on Tuesday as to whether schools will be impacted on Wednesday.
As of Tuesday at 1 a.m., Leland Fire Department posted on Facebook that their units were responding as mutual aid to Ocean Isle Beach to assist with rescue operations.
WWAY’s Tanner Barth was at the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood by 1:20 a.m. where first responders were going door to door checking on residents. He observed some homes were damaged and others appeared to have been ripped from their foundation.
Brunswick County, North Carolina Tornado Photos and Video:
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Damage at a home in Ocean Ridge Plantation community on Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
Wilmington Fire Department said their search & rescue teams (RRT-2 and USAR-11) were deployed to aid in locating missing persons in Brunswick County.
According to Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation, more than 7,000 power outages were caused by the severe weather and it caused extensive damage to the transmission system toppling poles and trees. At one point during the storm, about 35,000 utility customers were impacted.
Power was restored to about 10,000 customers by 2 a.m. and other outages are expected to extend into the afternoon. If you need to report a damaged power line or outage and are a BEMC customer, call 800-682-5309.
Brunswick County has opened a temporary shelter for individuals displaced due to the Brunswick county tornado. If you need assistance and shelter, call Emergency Services at 910-252-5383.
Map of Ocean Ridge Plantation Neighborhood area from Google: