Tornado Victims Pick Up The Pieces

Death Toll Reaches 8; Governor Says 4 Others Remain In 'Very, Very Critical Condition'

(CBS/AP) 
Easley said he will review the information gathered by the assessment teams to determine what kind of assistance the victims of the tornado may be eligible to receive.

"We will do everything we can to not disrupt people's lives," Easley said.

The tornado was part of a devastating line of thunderstorms that swept across the South on Wednesday and Thursday, killing 12. Of the 11 killed Thursday, eight lived in Riegelwood, a small town on the Cape Fear River about 20 miles west of coastal Wilmington. Several people remained hospitalized Friday, including at least two children in critical condition.

Hospital officials in Pitt County would not release an update Friday on two other children in critical condition transferred there Thursday.

The National Weather Service said Friday that three tornadoes also touched down in the western part of the state — destroying about a dozen homes and downing trees in Lincoln, Iredell and Gaston Counties. Officials said five people were injured in those storm, none critically.

"You can plot the damage. We can lay a ruler down on a map and follow the damage up the county," said David Martin, emergency management director in Iredell County.

In Riegelwood, Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten said authorities ended their search for bodies Thursday night and had accounted for everyone. Still, he said the county's water search team was going to dive into a pond off N.C. 87 on Friday to make sure no one landed in the water.

The storms began Wednesday, unleashing tornadoes and straight-line winds that overturned mobile homes and tractor-trailers, uprooted trees and knocked down power lines across the South.

In Louisiana, a man died Wednesday when a tornado struck his home. In South Carolina, a utility worker checking power lines Thursday during the storm was electrocuted. Elsewhere in North Carolina, two people died in car crashes as heavy rain pounded the state, dropping as much as five inches in some areas.

Off the coast, a Coast Guard helicopter lowered a pump to a fishing boat that was taking on water in 15-foot seas about 50 miles from Charleston, S.C. One crewman was aboard the 34-foot boat, which the Coast Guard escorted back to land.

When the tornado struck Riegelwood just after 6:30 a.m. Thursday, residents learned of the storm from radio and television reports.

"There was no warning. There was no time," said Cissy Kennedy, a radiologist's assistant who lives in the area. "It just came out from nowhere."

As many as 40 mobile homes were damaged before the tornado crossed a highway and leveled three brick homes. About 100 people were left homeless by the storm, and dozens slept at a shelter established at a nearby elementary school.

The storm knocked out power to 45,000 customers in North Carolina, but the electricity was back on in most places by mid-afternoon.

In South Carolina, utility worker Ken Butler, 41, was electrocuted as he worked from a bucket truck to clear power lines that had been downed when the thunderstorms moved through Bamberg. Record-setting rain in that state also flooded streets.

In Virginia, heavy rain caused flash flooding, stranded some travelers and residents in high water and closed dozens of roads. Police also responded to numerous car crashes caused by the foul weather.

[ezillyamused]

I live just outside St. Louis. I have been through 3 tornados and that is by far the most scared I've ever been. Hang in there N.C.! God knows what He's doing. Know that folks everywhere are praying for you and things will be better soon!

Well the skies have cleared and the rain and wind are gone, our only fear now is the Neuse River rising beyond flood stage, living next to it can be such a headache

[tinker3478]

We've only had high winds here with lots of trees down from this storm system. It seems to be about blown out. Bless you!

[elgraz]

Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. The tornadoes just missed us this morning.
Calabash, NC

We are still receiving heavy down pours at this moment, 60 miles south of Raleigh NC, the ENTIRE yard is now a lake with more than 4 inches of water. This is the worst I have seen in our area since hurricane Floyd

[tinker3478]

Having lived through a killer tornado in East Texas twenty years ago, I can understand the bewilderment, terror, and sheer exhaustion these people are feeling at the moment. They will be finding damage and debris six months from now, looking for contractors to fix their houses will be a nightmare, and most wearisome of all will be fighting their insurance adjustors. God bless all you North Carolinians. Hang in there! it gets better.

[random_radar]

The anonymous manager of the daycare center that got everyone into the right place is a hero. When she got up in the morning, she didn't expect to be responsible for saving lots of lives, but she did the right thing. Heros are ordinary people who rise to the occasion when fate comes calling.