Tornado kills at least 3 in coastal North Carolina

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Tanner Barth)

published 16 February 2021

A tornado tore through coastal Brunswick County, North Carolina, early Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring 10 others, authorities said Tuesday morning. The tornado touched down near Ocean Ridge Plantation, a beach community about 45 miles south of Wilmington, just after midnight, destroying houses, splitting trees in half, and downing power lines, leaving about 12,000 residents without power early Tuesday, NPR News reports.

"It's something like I have never seen before," said Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram. "A lot of destruction. It's going to be a long recovery process." Tanner Barth, a sports reporter for Wilmington's WWAY, shared some images of the destruction on social media.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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