A tornado destroyed a Pfizer warehouse in North Caroline, destroying 50,000 pallets of medicine.
Rocky Mount, North Carolina – On a day of relentless and extreme weather events across the United States, a powerful tornado tore through the Rocky Mount area, heavily damaging a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina on Wednesday. The incident marks the latest in a series of catastrophic weather events plaguing the nation, with floods ravaging communities in Kentucky and scorching heat enveloping Phoenix and Miami.
The pharmaceutical giant confirmed the destruction of one of its major complexes in Nash County due to the twister. While the company stated that no serious injuries were reported at the facility, the extent of the damage to the plant was immense. Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone reported that the tornado had tossed about large quantities of medicine, leaving approximately 50,000 pallets strewn across the facility, damaged by the relentless rain and wind.
“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” said Sheriff Stone, expressing the magnitude of the destruction.
Pfizer is one of the largest employers in Nash County, and the sheriff’s office also confirmed damage to several homes in the vicinity of the plant.
While its employees were able to follow evacuation protocols and evacuate safely, the impact on production remains uncertain. Pfizer issued a tweet expressing their concern for their colleagues, patients, and the community as they work to rebuild from this devastating weather incident.
The manufacturing plant is a critical site for the pharmaceutical giant, producing over 400 million units annually. As the tornado roared through the area, parts of the plant’s roof were torn off, and debris was scattered throughout the facility. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado has been classified as an EF3, boasting peak winds of 150 mph and leaving a trail of destruction spanning over 16 miles.
In a tragic toll of the storm, 16 people sustained injuries, two of them life-threatening. However, there have been no reported fatalities resulting from the tornado.
The National Weather Service stated that this particular EF3 tornado was a rare occurrence for central North Carolina in July, adding to the severity and unusual nature of the extreme weather events sweeping across the nation.
As communities grapple with the aftermath of the tornado in North Carolina, other areas of the country are also struggling with extreme weather challenges. In Phoenix, a new all-time temperature record was broken, while Kentucky experienced heavy rainfall, leading to rescues of people trapped in rain-swamped homes and vehicles.
Forecasters warned that there might be little relief in sight from the extreme weather conditions for large parts of the U.S., with the Raleigh National Weather Service predicting the possibility of severe weather once again on Thursday, with the biggest threat being damaging winds.
As the nation confronts these challenges, communities and authorities are rallying together to assess damage, provide aid, and work towards rebuilding from the devastating impact of these extreme weather events.
