Tornado rips through Pfizer facility in North Carolina

Pfizer's North Carolina pharmaceutical plant was severely damaged by an EF3 tornado that passed through the Rocky Mount area Wednesday. The company reported that they are still determining the impact.

During the midday hours, a tornado touched down near the communities of Battleboro and Dortches, ripping roofs off homes and causing other havoc in its path. The most relevant damage was the one caused at the Pfizer complex.

According to reports, not only the building was damaged, but also a large part of the plant and the medicine storage area were severely affected.

"I've got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind," reported Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.

Pfizer press release

Through its official Twitter account, Pfizer confirmed that the tornado damaged the Rocky Mount facility but assured that no one was seriously injured since a safety protocol was followed that allowed to evacuate everyone in time. However, the pharmaceutical giant is still assessing the damage caused.

"We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident," they posted.

Other damages in the area

The county sheriff reported damaged homes, cars with blown-out windshields, downed trees and crops completely destroyed by the tornado.

However, the sheriff reported that only two people have been reported injured so far. However, he does not rule out that the number could grow because some neighborhoods were so severely damaged that rescuers could not access them.