FRANKLIN COUNTY, N.C. — The sound of chainsaws has replaced the wind and rain of Tropical Storm Debby as communities continue to tackle storm cleanup.  

A tornado caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby snapped trees on David Wills’ property in Franklin County. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

Five tornado warnings were issued for Franklin County as Debby moved through North Carolina, with the National Weather Service confirming three tornado touchdowns. One in the Epsom community left a mobile home destroyed and many trees down.

North Carolina saw 10 confirmed tornadoes and 86 tornado warnings over a three-day period. Debby claimed two lives in North Carolina.

“It goes to show that when we tell people to seek cover, get out of their mobile homes and find a safe space, this is why we tell you to do that,” said Nicholas Thorpe, the Franklin County director of emergency management. “The destruction in these types of homes is just devastating. Luckily, no one lives in this home, but still, the devastation is going to take a toll on the community out here.”

David Wills clears trees on his property in Franklin County. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

David Wills owns the mobile home Thorpe was referring to and spent a morning clearing snapped trees from the front of his shop so he could access his tools to start dealing with the rest of the debris left from the tornado that spun up during the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.

“It's kind of just, it's disheartening. You walk out and all your stuff is tore up,” Wills said. 

The tornado dropped out of the sky about a mile away from his home, and he said there was no time to react.

“Stereotypical what they say, it sounds like a freight train's coming through your yard,” Wills said. "I was inside, so I didn't know what was going on until I heard it. By the time I heard it, it was halfway through the yard.”

The tornado destroyed an unoccupied mobile home on David Wills' property. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

Emergency management officials said the ever-changing nature of severe weather systems is why they advise the community to be prepared for the unexpected.

Franklin County has a mobile alert system for emergencies such as this and encourages all residents to sign up.

“These are our neighbors,” Thorpe said. “We want to care for them, we want them to know that that we in emergency management in Franklin County are there to help them put their lives back together.”

Wills and his neighbors are grateful to be walking away and say all in all, they’re fortunate – things can be replaced, lives cannot.