A tornado that struck North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, damaged many homes and structures, including a pharmaceutical plant that belongs to Pfizer.
The tornado was reported in Rocky Mount in Nash County, about 50 miles northeast of Raleigh, just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Nash County, NC reported.
Pfizer in a statement said the roof of its pharmaceutical building was destroyed by the tornado, but no casualty was recorded.
The Pfizer plant stores large quantities of medicine that were tossed about, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said, adding, “I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind.”
Pfizer on its website said that the plant produces anesthesia and other drugs, as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in hospitals across the United States.
A senior pharmacy director at the University of Utah Health, Erin Fox, said the damage “will likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds.”
Interstate 95 was temporarily closed in both directions between exits 138 and 141 because of a downed tree, the State Transportation Department said. Highway 43 from Red Oak to Dortches was also closed, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office said.
The National Weather Service said that the damage was similar to an EF3 tornado with wind speeds as fast as 150 mph and lasted up to 30 minutes.
It went through Dortches, Nash County – around 45 miles northeast of Raleigh – and ended nine miles east-northeast of Battleboro in Edgecombe County. The maximum path width is about 600 yards.
The National Weather Service said it was the first EF-3 tornado in central North Carolina during the month of July. The EF scale runs from 0 to 5 and is determined after the tornado has occurred, by assessing damage to determine wind speed.
“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 added in their statement.
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone urged people to keep off the roads because of downed power lines, gas leakages, or other severe damage across the area.
“It’s still a dangerous situation. We’re trying to get as much of this cleaned up before nightfall,” Stone said.
Gov. Roy Cooper said that first responders were on the scene helping clear roads and provide needed aid.
