NC mom finds 6-year-old daughter in rubble after tornado destroys her home

HERTFORD, N.C. — A tornado swept through a neighborhood in northeastern North Carolina early Monday, leaving behind a trail of destruction and sending several people to the hospital.

The Perquimans County Emergency Operations Center confirmed that 13 mobile homes were damaged at Longview Estates Mobile Home Park, located just off Woodville Road. Emergency responders remained at the scene throughout the morning to assess injuries and property damage.

Officials reported that eight people were injured, with three people being transported to the hospital for treatment. The Red Cross is assisting at least one affected family.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Camden, Pasquotank, Currituck, and Perquimans counties shortly after 3 a.m. At the time, a severe thunderstorm with the potential to produce a tornado was moving northeast at 50 mph near Elizabeth City. 

NWS later confirmed Monday afternoon that an EF1 tornado, which has maximum wind speeds of 110 mph, touched down just after 3 a.m.

RELATED: Tornado confirmed to have touched down in northeastern NC on Monday

In the aftermath, residents of Perquimans County are struggling to come to terms with the devastation. Many families who went to bed under a secure roof awoke to find their homes in ruins.

Laquasia Hughes, a resident of Longview Estates, described her disbelief at the destruction.

“Looking at it now… How? I don’t have any idea,” she said.

Hughes and her 6-year-old daughter were inside their home when the storm struck. She recalled feeling the force of the wind as it tore through her mobile home, leaving it in pieces.

“It felt like it was lifted, and tossed, and turned. Like it literally felt like it was Dorothy off The Wizard of Oz. It was scary,” Hughes said.

Despite the devastation, Hughes’ daughter miraculously emerged unharmed, found standing on a dresser amid the wreckage.

Nearby, another mobile home was completely destroyed, while a different trailer was flipped upside down. One residence in the direct path of the storm managed to remain standing.

A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, described the chaos as the storm struck.

“While the storm was going on, I could hear people over here trying to help them out, yelling ‘help.’ The child was stuck in the house,” he recalled.

The man and his family took shelter in an interior hallway away from windows, waiting for the storm to pass.

“We have a hallway in the house that’s away from all the windows and everything, so we all jumbled up in there and stayed there until everything quieted down,” he said.

Now, as cleanup efforts begin, Hughes remains focused on what truly matters.

“You know, this stuff is materialistic. It is replaceable; we can make that happen, but our lives are something we couldn’t get back. So, I’m grateful for that,” she said.