Edgecombe County woman injured by EF3 tornado faces Medicaid coverage struggles for rehab

Dale and Ricky Carter were thrown 100 feet in the air last Wednesday by an EF3 tornado.

Moore said Dale Carter’s type of Medicaid doesn’t cover the rehab she needs to get better. She is suffering from a broken pelvis and was put on seizure medication to prevent damage to her brain.

Meanwhile, Ricky Carter, who has cancer, is still in the hospital with a broken leg and shoulder.

Moore said her family is hoping that Ricky Carter can do rehab treatments at a nearby facility in either Tarboro or Scotland Neck. It’s not clear how much longer Ricky Carter will need to stay in the hospital.

Moore and the Carters both live on the same property. The couple tried to shelter in what was a one-room building as the tornado devastated the area on Wednesday. The building that Dale and Ricky Carter once called home is still missing – nearly a week after a tornado blew it away and seriously injured them.

As the couple recovers, volunteers have since showed up to help remove miscellaneous debris from the property.

“We’ve been cutting up trees and dragging them into piles,” Phyllis Toothman said.

Toothman and others showed up to the house with the group North Carolina Baptists on Mission.

“It can happen anyone,” Toothman said. “We just wanted to try to help them.”