2 tornadoes cause damage along Vance, Franklin county lines: 'I thought I was going to die'
ROCKY FORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- Two tornadoes spawned as Tropical Storm Debby plowed through North Carolina caused damage along the areas near Vance and Franklin county lines on Thursday.
A tornado touched down in Vance County on Thursday afternoon. It left debris and damage along the 1400 block of Rocky Ford Road near the Vance-Franklin county line.
Powerlines and tree limbs were downed, and outbuildings were damaged. One large tree fell and affected power lines at an area home.
Duke Energy crews were working to restore power to those affected.
No injuries were reported, but there were some scary moments for area residents.
When Tracy Mitchell heard a tornado hit her sister's street in Rocky Ford, she rushed over only to find the road blocked.
"She's very scared, and I just want to make sure she's OK," Mitchell said.
All she could do at that point was call.
Her sister, Sandra Alston, heard the tornado and she had to take cover.
"We was thinking it was gone and the next thing you know, the wind come whistling, I mean fast," said Alston. "And stuff, debris blowing all around, so I had to get to a safe place in the house. It didn't last a long time but like I said, it did some damage."
The family said they had watched the news and saw the deadly tornado in Wilson County and that was their biggest concern during the storm.
Luckily these sisters were able to reunite
The damage was severe: The yard flooded, a trampoline sent flying into trees, and across the street, trees down and power out. But again, it could have been worse.
Second Tornado Touches Down
On Thursday evening, a second twister touched down and caused damage in the Epsom community, which straddles the Vance-Franklin county line.
No injuries were reported but one mobile home was destroyed and a tree left snapped and twisted.
"Anytime we have tropical storms here in North Carolina, it's going to bring really wild weather and we've experienced that here in Franklin County," said Nicholas Thorpe, the county director of emergency management. "We practice for these types of events, we hope they never happen, our crews were ready to respond quickly and assess damage. We've been really lucky that none of our neighbors have been hurt in this storm that's come through and we're looking forward to getting back to sunny days."
Thorpe said the second twister provided the most damage the county had seen. He said that no one lived in the mobile home that was destroyed.
He added that some rain bands were still expected to come through in the later evening and advised people to stay off the roads if possible.
"We're experiencing flooding throughout the county, power outages will continue to happen, and we just want people to stay home right now," Thorpe said.
Across the street from the vacant home, one resident watched in horror.
"You see on television what it can do but not in person. I walked up to it and said, 'Oh, my God," said Michelle Riley. "The debris was way up the air. I thought, 'Oh no, this is not good. And I kept thinking about that poor man in Lucama, and I was thinking about my family, I thought I was going to die in this house today."
