By Corey Dinkel, WRAL Multiplatform Producer and Leslie Moreno, WRAL Multimedia Journalist
Mebane, North Carolina – Heavy storms, including a tornado in Orange County, caused damage Friday night in central North Carolina.
Three buildings in Orange County have been damaged by strong winds, which could be the result of a tornado, according to Orange County leaders.
Although the tornado was not confirmed by NWS, Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders said several 911 callers reported seeing a cloud in a funnel. WRAL’s Mike Maze also said that what he noticed on the radar was in line with the tornado.
The leaders of 911 in Orange County said they received calls for a potential tornado at 5:18 p.m. from the Gildan Distribution Center at 7110 E. Washington Street in Mebane.
Thirty people were trapped in the Gildan distribution center when the wall was torn down by strong winds.
All is well, but it is certainly a scary moment for those 30 employees who were inside the building. The damage was mostly on the side of the building, and fortunately all 30 employees worked on the other side on Friday.
Ricky Regan had just returned from work when he received a call that the tornado had landed.
“I was told it was a touchdown,” Regan said. “From there she got up and when it happened, she took part of the building with her.”
The officers heard a loud rumble and a strong wind. Fortunately, they were working on the other side of the building and no one was injured.
Regan says he has worked in the area for 27 years and has never seen anything as strong as Friday’s storm. He is glad that everyone came out unscathed.
Saunders said the county will work with all residents who may be displaced and need urgent accommodation assistance.
Just minutes away, storms on North Frazier Road left scattered piles of debris and significant property damage.
Orange County leaders said they had received several more calls, including from the homes of Fraser Road and Mace Road, which reported damage, including fallen trees and downed power lines.
A North Carolina State Highway patrol said Friday night a soldier was “electrocuted” while on the scene of a storm in North Fraser Road.
The SHP chief said power lines and trees had fallen in the area at the time, but was not sure how shocked the soldier was.
The officer was on site to help close the road.
The policeman was transported to hospital and is in stable condition.
Not far down Mace Road, several felled trees could be seen from above. Wood and debris scattered on the roads. Some residents of the area were left without electricity, such as Pete Evans, who heard the tornado.
“We heard it very clearly, right in the distance. “I knew what was going on,” Evans said. “I didn’t see a funnel cloud in our field of vision, so I knew we were fine.”
A house in Raleigh was also damaged on Friday afternoon when it was struck by lightning. The house is right next to Six Forks Road.
There is no visible major damage from the outside, but firefighters say the HVAC was damaged.
Lightning struck the top of a residential building in Durham in the Ellis Crossing Reserve on Ellis Road.
No one was injured, but two apartments were damaged.
Cumberland County Emergency Management said on Friday that there were reports of a tree in the home of Candlewood and Stacy Weaver Drive.
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission said the crews were meeting approximately 13,000 customers who currently have no electricity, especially in northern Fayetteville.
By 10:36 p.m., Fayetteville PWC said power had been restored to more than 12,000 who had lost services during Friday night’s storm.
More than 800 customers were left without electricity, and Fayetteville PWC said crews are continuing their recovery efforts, including replacing many poles damaged during the storm.
Numerous power outages and downed trees have been reported in central North Carolina as storms pass. Most agencies are still working to assess the damage.
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