Kenly, N.C. — Emergency officials said lives were saved by people taking refuge in interior rooms – like a closet or bathroom – when tornadoes struck Johnston and Wilson counties Saturday.
David Batton, of Kenly, said he ran to the middle of the house to take cover during the storm. Others reported lying on the floor of their homes and holding onto bedposts.
“It was just stuff flying through the home like a knife going through a piece of paper,” tornado survivor Alan Hooks said.
Following the tornadoes, all that was left standing of some homes was the interior rooms, said Derrick Duggins, Johnston County emergency management director.
“The interior walls are going to be the most sturdy walls because they’re the load-bearing walls of the house, and if you can get to that wall, you’re more protected,” Duggins said.
The goal during a tornado is to put as many walls as possible between yourself and outside. If in a two-story home, experts recommend getting to the bottom floor. If there isn’t a good, small interior room like a closet or bathroom, people should get under a sturdy table and cover their heads and necks.
Another tip is to not open windows.
Closets, bathrooms still standing after tornadoes
- Reporter: Erin Coleman
- Photographer: Robert Meikle
- Web Editor: Kathy Hanrahan
4 Comments
-
- Hagan, Burr express concern over health care funding
Updated at 8:33 a.m. |
- Raleigh among most dangerous cities for pedestrians
Posted 12 minutes ago - Wake County distributing large H1N1 vaccine shipment
Updated at 7:37 a.m. |
- Cooking oil gets kicked to curb in Raleigh
Updated at 7:39 a.m. |
- Spring Lake police to reaffirm duty in ceremony
Updated at 6:32 a.m.
- Hagan, Burr express concern over health care funding
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- Families honor veterans 2009
Updated at 9:52 a.m. - Hurricane Ida
Updated at 9:02 a.m. - Photos: Cheerleading Championship
Nov. 7, 2009
- Families honor veterans 2009
(7 votes) germany celebrates fall of berlin wall
(4 votes) cyclist dies following weekend collision
-
Photo: Fall of the Berlin WallThe 28-year-old Cold War symbol along East Germany's fortified border crumbled on the evening of Nov. 9, 1989, a pivotal moment in the collapse of…
-
Fort Bragg homecomingThe 82nd Airborne's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, or Panther Brigade, is coming home after a year-long deployment to Iraq. Families greeted 200…
-
N.C. honors veterans with paradesNorth Carolina honored veterans Saturday with annual parades in Raleigh and Fayetteville and a ceremony at the State Capitol building.
-
Photos of the weekThe snow-covered Wilder Kaiser, part of the Alps, is reflected in Lake Schwarzsee in Austria. It's among the best photos taken by Associated Press…
-
The week in entertainmentA look at the top entertainment headlines this week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.





STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS


Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.