High winds shift house off foundation near Elizabeth City

Strong winds and at least one tornado raced through northeastern North Carolina Friday morning, damaging several houses, barns, out buildings and vehicles and knocking over trees and chicken houses.

Outside Elizabeth City, a straight-line wind pushed a house off its foundation.

The National Weather Service reported that a tornado was first spotted near Colerain at 8:44 a.m.

Several houses and barns were damaged, and debris was strewn throughout the area’s farm fields, Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb said.

The worst damage occurred when a roof was lifted then dropped back onto a house. The family was scheduled to move out of the rental house at the end of the month, but got permission to move into their newly purchased home Friday.

Warner Perry of Edenton said the storm took out two irrigation systems valued at about $100,000 at his farm in Bertie County.

In Hertford County, damages around the Harrellsville area were similar to those in Bertie, said Charles Jones, Hertford’s emergency management director .

In one case, however, state Department of Transportation workers took cover in their vehicles when they saw the tornado coming. Their trucks were damaged when trees fell on them, Jones said.

The storm then crossed the Chowan River and knocked over an old peanut shelter and a couple of old barns that were not in use in the Cannon Ferry area, said Peter Rascoe, Chowan County spokesman.

Local schoolchildren were shuffled into safe areas as tornado watches quickly turned to warnings. In Pasquotank County, school openings were delayed two hours with the hopes of missing the storm, Superintendent Tony Stewart said.

But a school bus was 10 minutes ahead of a straight-line wind that pushed a house in northern Pasquotank County off its foundation. A second school bus was blocked from the same road because emergency vehicles were on the scene.

At about 9:30 a.m., Jeff Waff was inside his Crystal Lake Drive home, watching the tornado reports, when he heard what sounded like a freight train outside.

“I’ve never heard that freight train sound before,” he said, “but it’s unmistakable.”

The National Weather Service determined it was not a tornado, but a straight-line wind that rushed east across U.S. 17 and into Laura Bortner’s back yard.

Everything in her yard went flying around, except a child’s swimming pool filled with water.

“The turtles seem fine,” Bortner said, pointing at the pool surrounded by debris.

The wind pushed over a portion of her fence and hit her neighbor’s house across the street.

The owner heard the wind and got into a bathtub with her 12-year-old daughter and infant, said Randy Keaton, Pasquotank County manager. While in the tub, she told emergency officials, she could feel the house lift and then shift.

Jason and Tammy Knight were leaving the neighborhood when they heard a siren and then saw the wind come through. They quickly returned and went to the damaged house.

Tammy Knight ran to the front door and started knocking and yelling through the broken windows. Then she looked down and realized the house was off its foundation. Her husband went to the back door and helped the woman and children out of the house.

No one was injured, Jason Knight said, but the family was shaken.

The family had only lived in the house for about two months and will not be able to return, said Christy Saunders, emergency management director for Pasquotank and Camden counties.

Lauren King, (252) 338-2413, lauren.king@pilotonline.com