Pfizer tornado damage: July 19, 2023, North Carolina tornado injured people, destroyed homes
A destructive EF-3 tornado hit North Carolina on July 19, 2023, north of Rocky Mount.
July 19, 2023, NC tornado
The tornado touched down around 12:30 p.m. in the Battleboro and Dortches communities in Nash County. An estimated 90 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed, including the giant Pfizer plant at 4285 N. Wesleyan Blvd. At least 16 people were injured by the tornado, with two people facing life-threatening injuries.
The National Weather Service confirmed it was an EF-3 tornado with winds of up to 150 mph. An EF-3 tornado is the fourth strongest type of tornado on a scale of six -- ranging from least violent (EF-0) to most violent (EF-5).
It is the second-ever EF-3 tornado to hit North Carolina in the month of July.
The tornado may have covered a path as long as 20 miles, according to WRAL meteorologists. The debris wall of the tornado was about 2 miles wide near Interstate 95 in Nash County.
At one point, over 3,200 Rocky Mount electric customers were without power. Around 21 power poles were damaged in the area, according to Duke Energy.
Once the storm cleared, Sky 5 flew over damage in Nash County, where entire segments of trees and crops were destroyed in the tornado's path. Some neighborhoods were so damaged that first responders could not get to them, according to the sheriff.
Major roads were closed in Nash County, including Interstate 95, N.C. Highway 43 and N.C. 48.
People impacted by the storm were invited to shelter at the Rocky Mount Senior Center and Red Oak Baptist Church. The American Red Cross was assisting dozens of families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
Pfizer tornado damage
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told WRAL News 50,000 pallets of medicine may have been destroyed when the tornado hit Pfizer's distribution and storage buildings. More than 100 vehicles and 75 hauling trucks were damaged at the plant. Pfizer said there were no reports of serious injuries at the site.
He and his coworkers gathered in the hallway, and that's when the tornado hit.
"The wind was strong and the power went out," Hicks said. "We just sat there in the building as the tornado passed."
Afterward, Hicks went outside and saw the damage. He said he had never experienced anything like it before, not even Hurricane Fran.
Hicks said that the part of the building that handles product stored and ready to be shipped was hit the hardest by the tornado.
"Just think how quick something like that can happen," Hicks said. "A storm only lasted seconds but leaves months and months of repair. So it’s scary."
The plant is one of Nash County's largest employers, employing more than 3,200 people.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla visited Rocky Mount two days after the storm to tour the damage. He announced that Pfizer will continue to pay all of its employees while repairs are being made.
Bourla said Pfizer has made donations to the organizations working to help rebuild the community.
Will there be a drug shortage?
According to Pfizer's website, this facility produces nearly 25% of Pfizer's sterile injectables for U.S. hospitals. It’s not yet clear what impact the damage will have on distribution and availability of Pfizer products.
WRAL News asked Bourla what medicines were at the Rocky Mount facility and what kind of shortages the U.S. could expect for those kinds of drugs.
"We are assessing the situation," Bourla said. "I don't think that we know right now what type of shortages we may have.
"Right now, there are at least six weeks of inventory out there ... so, I don't think we'll see anything in the next six weeks."
Bourla said the facility makes anesthetics, invectives, vitamins, micronutrients and part of the emergency kits used in emergency rooms.
Navy veteran, wife jump ride out tornado in bathtub
Michael Poythress, Deborah Moore and their dog took refuge during the tornado in the bathtub of their Puckett Mobile Home Park in Dortches.
“She got in bathroom next to the tub, started climbing in to it,” Poythress said. “I had my shoulder against the door, [I held] onto the dog with my left arm and (was) holding her shirttail with the other.”
The couple said while in the bathroom, the roof blew off, and they tumbled and rolled around in the rumble.
“She fell out of the tub, if I hadn’t held onto her, she would’ve been gone,” Poythress said. “She would have been in the tub.”
EMS got Moore, who is already under hospice care, quickly onto a stretcher. The tornado left her with bumps, bruises and abrasions all over her body.
“It just peeled the skin off my leg," Moore said. "You can see almost through the bone.”
The couple is staying with relatives after the tornado. They do not have insurance on their home.
A GoFundMe page was started for the couple.
Interstate 95 closed for hours
Both directions of Interstate-95 were closed between Dortches and U.S. Highway 64 for hours because of trees that fell onto the roadway.
It was a chaotic scene on the interstate, with people driving in the median and some trying to drive in the opposite direction. Drivers described rain falling horizontal to the roadway.
"The trees started flying," one driver told WRAL photojournalist John Payne. "The car started shaking ... the back window blew out ... we were in the eye of the tornado," said another driver. A third driver described trees flying past her window.
Dortches NC tornado damage
In the small town of Dortches, Mayor Jackie Vick said he is grateful no one lost their lives. He said the storm moved into the area very quickly. At least five homes were destroyed on the street where the mayor spoke to WRAL reporter Keenan Willard. He said small children lived in one of the homes that was hit, but they will be okay.
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone reported the most storm damage in the Dortches community, where the tornado touched down, and in the areas of N.C. 43 and the Red Oak community.
"It went from sunshine to pitch black ... we're just thankful there were no lost lives," Vick said.
Brian Varnell's family home was among dozens destroyed by the tornado, but he said he is just thankful everyone is safe and alive.
"This is all property damage and can be replaced ... fortunately everyone here is fine," he said.
Youth pastor takes video of tornado
Rise Church Youth Pastor Josh Brown took several videos of the tornado as it passed through Wednesday afternoon.
Brown said someone called him and said there was a tornado behind the church at 3520 Bishop Road in Rocky Mount.
"I'm excited at first," Brown said. "And it's, 'Oh, there's a tornado.' You can see debris flying. You can see the clouds forming and the tornado whipping and then, the noise gets louder and louder, and then, I see the tornado almost like it pauses."
"And I'm like, 'Oh, no. Is it about to come right at me?' And that's when my excitement slowly turns to fear. So, I said, 'I should probably get out of here.'"
Tornado began as a thunderstorm warning
WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said a tornado of this strength is more likely in the spring. This tornado was unexpected and happened very quickly.
The tornado began as a thunderstorm warning in Edgecombe, Halifax and Nash counties. The thunderstorm warnings were issued at 12:27 p.m., and the tornado warning was issued about five minutes later.
WRAL News received reports that the tornado touched down in Battleboro at 12:43 p.m. and Dortches at 12:47 p.m.
It is estimated that the tornado covered at least 20 miles.
NC tornado history
The July 19, 2023, tornado was among the worst Nash County has ever seen.
In 1988, Nash County had an EF-4 tornado. The county has had two other F3 tornados using the old Fujita scale, which means they were stronger than an EF-3 tornado.
On April 16, 2011, 30 tornadoes touched down in North Carolina for the greatest one-day total on record for our state. Twenty-four North Carolinians lost their lives, including eight people in the WRAL viewing area, and hundreds more were injured.
