Damage assessment, relief efforts continue after Brunswick County tornado

Star-News (Wilmington, NC)

Feb. 17—Efforts to survey areas of Brunswick County that were devastated by a tornado could continue into Wednesday afternoon.

In the aftermath of the tornado that killed three and injured 10, Wilmington's National Weather Service has worked to better understand the storm by conducting a post-storm damage assessment.

Out of Tuesday's assessment effort came the news that the tornado has been rated a high-end EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita damage scale. This scale is used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. At this point, winds are estimated to have been at 160 mph.

The weather service will send another survey team to the area around 9 a.m. today after not being able to complete the survey Tuesday due to losing daylight. The focus will be to determine how long the tornado's path was, its width and further determine winds based on damage.

"Hopefully this afternoon we'll have a detailed report," said Dave Loewenthal with the weather service.

The tornado was the first to claim lives in the in the Cape Fear area since 2006, when an EF3 tornado devastated the Riegelwood community in Columbus county, killing eight people and injuring 20.

In addition to the three killed and 10 people injured Monday, at least 50 homes were damaged, displacing some residents. Tuesday morning saw about 3,000 Brunswick County residents without power. As of 6:49 a.m. this morning, that number had shrunk to 845 people.

Wednesday morning there were a line of trucks along U.S. 17 near the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood that appeared to be working to repair electrical lines along the road. The median of U.S. 17 is still littered with tree branches and other storm debris.

Some trees near the entrance of Ocean Ridge Plantation were completely downed in the storm. From the road, it's difficult to see damage to individual houses, but blue and black tarps are covering small sections of some roofs.

Amid the damage caused by the storm, relief efforts to help those effected are underway.

The North Carolina Department of Insurance announced it will set up a victims assistance center at the Ocean Ridge Plantation, a neighborhood hardest hit by the storm. N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper and Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey also announced they plan to tour the area to survey the damage from the storm.

Representatives from the American Red Cross directed their efforts Tuesday toward helping displaced families. This includes calling on St. Luke Lutheran Church in Ocean Isle Beach to be used as a safe haven for residents who've been affected.

A GoFundme page has also been set up for the Ocean Ridge Plantation community by the Community Association Management Services. Out of a $5,000 goal, over $7,500 has been raised.

"Many of our neighbors are in great need of relief, so please feel free to share the fundraiser page and please keep those impacted by the tornado in your thoughts and prayers," Deanna King, regional vice president for the association.

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