NC Tornado | Rocky Mount begins cleanup after the tornado originated in Helene, leaving a trail of damage and injuries

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Helene's impact touched every part of our state.

The most severe impacts we experienced in our area occurred in Rocky Mount after a tornado ripped through the area on Friday. ABC11 crews are on scene as cleanup efforts are underway.

The 100-foot-wide tornado was an EF-3 with 140 mph winds and spread over a quarter mile, according to the National Weather Service.

An auto repair shop and a restaurant were among 14 buildings on Tiffany Boulevard that suffered severe damage, some with roofs and walls torn off. Several vehicles were also damaged.

This happened in the middle of the day when people were outside eating with friends and family.

ABC11 spoke Friday with witness Sonny Cardinelli, who was at the Hing Ta restaurant when the tornado passed through.

Cardinelli said he screwed as many people as he could. He could hear objects and debris falling on the table and around him.

“We were sitting there getting tornado warnings all the time and then some of my family members told me there was a tornado in the area,” he said. “So, me, my granddaughter and a friend of hers… were sitting at the table and I got my plate and when I saw the bells turning and everything starting to spin, I ran over to them and grabbed everyone that I could and we went under the table. We were lucky.

Keisha Justice was at her store, Pretty Essentials Women's Boutique, in the mall when the tornado struck.

“The front has completely disappeared,” Justice said Friday of her company, which cares for cancer patients.

Rocky Mount Fire Chief Darvin Moore said 15 people were injured, four seriously, in connection with the tornado.

Three deaths in North Carolina are among at least 44 confirmed storm-related deaths across the country.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend, the National Storm Center said. Multiple flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect for portions of the southern and central Appalachians. High wind warnings are also issued in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.

RELATED STORIES

'Terrible' Helene leaves western NC with severe flooding, all roads declared closed

Emergency officials say the Lake Lure Dam is no longer at risk of breaching following the inspection