A tornado tore through parts of Brunswick County in southeast North Carolina just after midnight, leaving people trapped in their homes, structural damage and power lines down, reports CBS Wilmington, North Carolina affiliate WWAY-TV. There was no word on how many people were trapped.
The station said first responders were going house-to-house in the Ocean Ridge Plantation community. Numerous homes were damaged. Some were ripped off their foundations. Many trees were snapped in half.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued a tornado warning very late Monday night, then said a twister was confirmed near Honey Island, according to WWAY.
The weather service posted word of some damage on Twitter:
Brunswick County Emergency Management said people were trapped in homes.
The Wilmington Fire Department also took to Twitter:
At 1:00 a.m., the Leland Fire Department posted on Facebook that its units were giving mutual aid to the Ocean Isle Beach department to help with rescue operations.
“Please stay home and stay away from the area,” the department wrote.
The Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation said thousands of homes and businesses lost power.
