An EF-3 Tornado Hit Bertie County On Tuesday, NWS Confirms

BERTIE COUNTY, NC — The tornado that struck Bertie County early Tuesday morning as Hurricane Isaias made landfall in North Carolina has been ranked an EF-3 storm, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado killed two residents and left 14 others with injuries.

On Wednesday, the NWS said the tornado touched down near Knowles Lane to the south and ended some 10 miles to the northwest at Governors Road in the town of Windsor. While on the ground, the twister produced winds as strong as 145 miles per hour.

The NWS said the tornado destroyed several mobile home parks and stick-built houses in its path, altogether flattening seven single- and double-wide mobile homes.

The deaths and injuries all happened near Morning Road, where the worst of the damage occurred.

The tornado also damaged a farm on Highway 306 before lifting from the ground, a path of destruction in its wake.

In a news release on Tuesday, Bertie County Emergency Management Director Mitch Cooper first confirmed the deaths and injuries that had occurred in the county. At least 10 others were rescued from the area and taken to local shelters, he said.

"Assessment of the scene will continue today as well into the coming days. Taskforce Teams from across the state are on the ground supplementing local search efforts," Cooper said. "We want to emphasize that this is not a recovery mission, and rescues are still taking place which is why it is increasingly important to steer clear of the area."

Aerial photos taken of the mobile home community Tuesday morning show homes in tatters along the tornado's path. WRAL reporter Renee Chou said on Twitter that 10 homes were destroyed.

Related: Isaias' Impact In NC: 153,495 Without Power, Two Dead