City and state leaders surveyed the damage caused by a recent tornado in Rocky Mount on Monday.
12 of the 15 people sent to UNC Health Nash General Hospital Friday have been treated and released
Three were initially transferred to ECU Health
City and state officials toured the damage Monday
Clarence Furse waved people into the backside of K&W Cafeteria right as the tornado hit
The fast-moving storm on Friday hammered more than a dozen businesses in Tiffany Square.
City of Rocky Mount Plans Examiner Luis Ramirez, Jr. said the next steps will come after the property owner meets with insurers and receives an assessment on Tuesday.
“Once the debris is removed and it’s no longer unsafe, the vehicles will also be removed. Then we will go unit-by-unit with the property owner and the business owners to make sure there are not any other issues,” Ramirez said.
Clarence Furse is scratching his head more than three days later. Furse was clocked in at work at the K&W Cafeteria.
“I heard this big pop sound and then it was this big booming sound and the power went out,” Furse said.
The K&W Cafeteria general manager said he ushered guests and employees alike into the restrooms with winds whipping around the southern-style restaurant.
“That's when we heard that loud, roaring sound,” Furse said
The sound of a tornado as it slammed into the surrounding businesses, where mother nature left her devastating mark.
Rocky Mount Communications Manager Grant Roberson confirmed 15 people working or visiting businesses at the Tiffany Square Mall were taken to UNC Health Nash General Hospital, some with significant injuries. A hospital spokeswoman said three patients were transferred to ECU Health. Twelve of the 15 patients treated by medical staff at Nash General have since been released.
A tow trucker removed cars smashed into the Hing Ta Restaurant. Only some of the walls remain and bricks are scattered everywhere, but K&W was mostly unscathed.
“It was like God put a blanket angel over top of us just to cover, to shield us from all of that,” Furse said.
Furse said when he felt safe enough, he walked right out of the back of the restaurant to check on his car in the parking lot. When he noticed employees from the Hing Ta Restaurant looking dazed and confused in the pouring rain, that's when he spoke up.
“I was directing to tell them, ‘Look, come over here.' We have shelter over here. The building is fine,” Furse said.
Furse estimated about 15 people ran through the back door.
“I was praying to God and just asking God to cover us. To continue to bring us through this, and He did,” Furse said.
This latest tornado happened a little more than a year after a tornado struck the area. Furse said then, as now, is about being "Rocky Mount Strong."
“I knew all of us was covered, but I was scared and I was in shock. I couldn't believe that it was so close and just... I never experienced anything like that,” Furse said.