Roanoke Rapids residents survey damage

Eleven days ago, a tornado ripped through her neighborhood, damaging homes and uprooting trees.

“Everybody was screaming and hollering, trying to find out if everybody was OK,” Johnson said. “I ran in the closet. That’s the only place I could take cover.”

Power outages kept Johnson and other residents from being able to survey the damage to their properties until Tuesday. 

Recovery efforts soon began. 

By Wednesday, workers were replacing Johnson’s storage shed, which was destroyed in the storm.

“They have done a beautiful job of, you know, cleaning and doing,” Johnson said.

Parts of Roanoke Rapids were severely damaged by the storm. Businesses by 10th Street and Park Avenue were left crumbled. Some businesses have already started to rebuild.

“It looks like a different town,” Roanoke Rapids Mayor Emery Doughtie said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday opened an office in Roanoke Rapids to process claims in person.

The office is located at the T.J. Davis Recreation Center, 400 E. 6th St., and will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.