BURKE COUNTY, N.C.,None — Chopper 9 flew over parts of both counties at dawn Thursday and saw homes completely leveled in both counties. There were no storm-related deaths, though 16 people were injured.
Gov. Bev Perdue toured some of the areas hardest-hit by the storm, and emergency management officials briefed her on recovery efforts.
Burke County
The damage was so severe in Burke County that it was placed under a state of emergency and schools operated on a two-hour delay Thursday.
Seven people in the county were injured in the tornado, 50 homes were damaged and more than a dozen homes were destroyed. It cut a path of more than 10 miles across the county, and wind speeds reached up to 130 mph, the NWS said.
Several displaced residents filled a temporary Red Cross shelter at a church in Icard, which is in Burke County.
“It happened so fast. You could hear it coming and it’s like a whirlwind -- and you could hear the stuff being ripped off,” said storm victim Debbie Travis.
Eddie and Ronda Lane were inside a trailer on Rock Lane when the storm hit. Ronda Lane said they were in the kitchen when the storm hit, and credited her husband for saving her life.
“All of the sudden you could see the walls, the kitchen walls, coming in and he threw me down on the kitchen floor and was holding onto me,” she said.
“I pushed her down in the floor in front of the sink and I just got down on the floor with her and put my arms around her and just held on,” Eddie Lane said.
He added: “I’m just -- I’m surprised that we're alive, that we made it.”
They said their trailer was knocked off its foundation, and they were trapped inside as it tumbled down a hill. When it came to a rest, they said they were lying outside.
“It's like whatever it was just spit us out all of the sudden, just threw us to the ground,” Ronda Lane said.
On Thursday, the Lanes began to sift through what’s left of their home, salvaging what they could.
Eddie Lane said he doesn't have insurance or have a plan for what he will do next, but he's alive and grateful for that.
“God was with us and God had a hand on us or we wouldn't be here right now,” he said.
Stephanie Higdon showed Eyewitness News the closet she and her husband and three children huddled and prayed in as the storm passed overhead, south of Hildebran. By the time it was over, much of their roof was gone but the family was spared.
“By the grace of God we are alive,” Higdon said. “That's all we can ask at this point. This is material stuff. It can be replaced.”
Next door, Terry Helton's girlfriend lost her home and he lost his truck.
“Send up some prayers to God,” Helton said. “Because as bad as this is, you look at something like this -- we could have died like that. We could have been gone so easily.”
Volunteers worked late into the night on Thursday, braving cold temperatures and rain to help repair homes.
"It's just unbelievable, the people that's stepped up to help," said tornado survivor Anthony Cline.
Cline believes he was seconds away from death when the tornado hit. His family had just sat down to the dinner table, but 11-year-old Lindsey was still in the bathroom. That's when a sudden gust of wind blew out the windows.
"I try not to think about it, but yes, it definitely could have been a different outcome," Cline said.
Cline said he ran into the bathroom and grabbed his daughter. They struggled against the wind to make it into the basement.
"I was just scared. And I was just hoping we'd live through this and get the family safe," Lindsey Cline said.
They huddled together underneath the staircase.
"This spot right here, I look at it as a lifesaver," Anthony Cline said. "Something held up to keep us safe right here."
On Thursday, volunteers started putting back what the powerful winds ripped off.
Professional roofer Patrick Bates helped repair seven homes on Thursday for free.
"At some point you may be in need, and need help. I'm a true believer in karma," Bates said.
Rutherford County
A National Weather Service team spent hours surveying the damage in the area around Piney Mountain Road in Ellenboro.
By Thursday afternoon, the team confirmed that an EF2 tornado had hit with wind speeds of up to 115 mph.
Nine people in the county were injured.
The strong winds blew the house of 5-year-old Faith Owens’ grandmother off its foundation and flipped it. A TV fell on Faith and her 2-year-old sister. They and their mother, Samantha Owens, suffered some bumps and bruises.
“It's amazing, but I thank God that we are alive,” Samantha Owens said.
The children’s grandmother was hospitalized with a concussion.
A few doors down, family members sifted through what's left of Harold and Barbara Henderson's bonus room. David Henderson said his 74-year-old father saw the storm coming.
“He went over and tried to get her up, but before he could get her up the glass door blew in on him,” David Henderson said.
The 72-year-old woman was weak from a dialysis treatment she had Wednesday, he said. Harold Henderson jumped on his wife as the walls caved in.
“He sacrificed himself for her,” David Henderson said.
Barbara Henderson was treated and released from a hospital. Harold Henderson is still hospitalized. He is expected to go home in the next day or so.
WSOC
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