BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A confirmed tornado ripped across portion of Brunswick County into Columbus County overnight.
At a 4:30 a.m. press conference it was announced that so far 3 people are dead. 10 others are injured, and several structures have been damaged.
A tornado warning was issued for southeastern Brunswick County near Grissettown around 11:39 p.m. A confirmed tornado was spotted near Honey Island, or 13 miles north of Shallotte at 12:00 a.m. At 12:07 p.m., an observed tornado was seen in the Delco area. The warning ended at 12:15 a.m.
Strong rotating winds detected on radar when tornado warning was issued on Feb. 15, 2021. (Photo: WWAY)
The National Weather Service in Wilmington says Brunswick County Emergency Management reports structural and house damage in the Windsor Circle area of Ocean Ridge Plantation off Highway 17.
Brunswick County EM is reporting that people are trapped in homes. No word on how many people and exactly where.
There are also several power lines down along Highway 17 near the Highway 904 intersection in the Grissettown area.
At 1:00 a.m., Leland Fire Department posted on Facebook that their units are responding as mutual aid to Ocean Isle Beach to assist with rescue operations underway.
“Please stay home and stay away from the area,†the department wrote.
As of 1:20 a.m., WWAY’s Tanner Barth was at the the Ocean Isle Plantation community. First responders are going house to house to check on people. He saw numerous houses are damaged, even some are ripped off the foundation. Many trees are snapped in half.
Wilmington Fire Department says their search & rescue teams (RRT-2 and USAR-11) have been deployed to aid in locating missing persons in Brunswick County.
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook around 1:40 a.m. that they were on the scene in Seaside area.
According to Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation, there are thousands of people across southern and central parts of the county without power.
