Fayetteville remembers trauma of 2011 tornado outbreak

By Gilbert Baez, WRAL Fayetteville reporter

Fayetteville, N.C. — Although it’s no longer under a rare and dangerous Level 4 risk for severe weather, Cumberland County could be among one of the hardest hit areas when thunderstorms arrive Thursday evening.

It is a threat that Crystal Brown doesn’t take lightly. She was principal of Ben Martin Elementary School in 2011 when a tornado destroyed a neighborhood and blew part of the roof of her school.

“My first reaction when looking at it was just complete shock,” Brown said. “I mean, I saw all sorts of debris. There was a teddy bear, clothing … everything was just stuck to a fence that was near the school. And of course when you look and you see that part of the roof was gone, it was pretty much a very emotional day for me.”

Brown said the damage was apparent, in the building and students’ psyches.

“Whenever a storm came, we has students that would literally tremble. They would wrap their arms around their chest and rock back and forth. They were traumatized,” she said.

The school shut down for months while repairs were made.

Houses in nearby communities off Yadkin Road were leveled, and cars were flattened and stacked like pancakes. Residents said the community, located just outside of Fort Bragg, resembled a war zone.

Michael Lewis said, “When I went inside the house, the house was tilted to one side.”

Despite the damage, Lewis flew an American flag from his roof throughout the rebuilding process.

“I know this house was built a lot better than the last one,” he said. “The thing is, it’s still going to happen, and you can’t do nothing about it except pray.”

Although there is a risk for dangerous weather across central North Carolina on Thursday, Cumberland and Sampson counties are more likely to see strong EF2 tornadoes when storms move into the area after 3 p.m. Crews are on standby to restore power if needed, and schools are operating virtually.

According to the Enhanced Fujita Scale used to track tornado intensity, EF-2 tornadoes produce wind gusts over 110 mph and EF-3 tornadoes produce gusts over 135 mph.

Just last month, three people were killed when an EF-2 tornado hit Brunswick County.

It’s too early to know if the storms will produce weather as deadly as the tornado outbreak in 2011, but WRAL meteorologists will be monitoring conditions into the night.

It will be especially important to keep phones and other communication devices charged beforehand, have an emergency plan in place for your household and download the WRAL Weather app to receive severe weather alerts.

If there is a tornado warning in the viewing area, WRAL meteorologists will be tracking the storm on air. You can watch on TV or right in the WRAL app.