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'It’s catastrophic’: EF-2 tornado with 130 mph winds smashes SC high school

By WSOCTV.com News Staff
By WSOCTV.com News Staff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Powerful storms ripped through the Charlotte region and beyond Saturday night, bringing strong winds, rain and leaving thousands without power.

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Officials said several fallen trees were reported across the region as well.

No injuries were reported in the Charlotte area from Saturday’s storms.

In Kershaw County, South Carolina, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado hit North Central High School. Crews on the scene reported it was an EF-2 tornado with 130 mph wind speeds.

The sheriff’s office posted pictures of the damage showing school buses smashed into each other and parts of the roof and building ripped away.

“We always try to see the silver lining, and in my opinion, the silver lining here is that it happened on a Saturday night. No one was here, so there were no injuries and no one lost their life, so buildings can be replaced, facilities can be rebuilt,” graduate and former administrator Charles King said.

The school said it is working with state and local leaders to assess the damage, but deputies said the school could be closed for a while.

The tornado damaged just about every building on North Central’s campus and officials told Channel 9′s DaShawn Brown of a fleet of nearly 30 buses, only three can be salvaged.

The school’s football stadium also took a hit, leaving the bleachers collapsed and metal lights bent in half.

Latest update on damage after EF-2 tornado hits high school Latest update on damage after EF-2 tornado hits high school

“I’m devastated because we’ve got a lot of children and family and stuff. They go to school here. It’s sad, it really is,” parent Carolyn Lewis said.

District leaders said more than 500 students attend the school and they needed to work out a plan to figure out where the students will finish out the school year, and possibly the following year.

“Number one, it’s catastrophic, there’s no doubt,” King said. “Some of the structures and buildings aren’t salvageable. They will have to be rebuilt. I feel for the students involved because it will probably be a couple of years before they’ll be able to set foot back on this campus.”

Officials told Channel 9′s Gina Esposito there is an empty vocational school about 20 miles from the high school and that is where students will report on Wednesday.

The district is still working to find a solution for the buses that were damaged or destroyed, but other counties like Lancaster County have reached out to see how they can help.

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Duke Energy worked for hours to restore power to residents across the Charlotte area. Duke reported more than 70,000 power outages across the Carolinas after Saturday night’s storms.

The Red Cross said it is helping two families because trees fell on their homes. In Hickory, a family of four is dealing with damage and in Rockwell in Rowan County, a family of five.

“Looked outside, saw a lot of rain, sat back down. A couple minutes later, a gigantic crash,” homeowner Daniel Flattery said. “You felt the counters jump. Everything hit all at one time.”

This is the same line of storms that tore through the southeast Saturday. One of the hardest hit areas being Louisiana, where police said three people died.

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Officials said a couple died after their trailer was demolished by the storm and a man in his 70s was lying in bed when a tree fell on top of him.

Authorities believe at least nine people have been killed throughout these storms in several states.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

Channel 9's Erin Edwards talks to local homeowners dealing with damage following storms Channel 9's Erin Edwards talks to local homeowners dealing with damage following storms

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