EF-1 tornado touches down in Liberty, NC, National Weather Service says

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    LIBERTY, NC (WGHP ) — An EF-1 tornado touched down in Liberty Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Survey teams say winds were up to 100 mph.

A string of storms hit the community Thursday, leaving many trees and power lines down in several residential streets.

The National Weather Service says the teams are not only investigating possible tornado damage in Liberty, but also other unspecified areas in central North Carolina.

“The wind was crazy; it was so loud,” Janet Phillips said.

Phillips and her family were inside of their Liberty home the moment a large tree fell into the side of their house, crashing into the roof. Much of the damage was done to the attic and now they’re left with water seeping into their home.

“The winds picked up, and you could hear stuff flapping. One of our shutters flew off, and I was videoing on the back deck, and then the tree came crashing in, and I ran into the bathroom, and then it was over,” Phillips said.

She says the damage happened around 12:30 p.m. She’s grateful no one was hurt.

Just a few houses down from Phillips’ another tree fell on a house.

Jeffrey Hutcherson came home and saw the damage while on his lunch break.

“It’s got holes all the way through the center roof, so it’s the kitchen, living room. I mean I would say the whole house ceilings are falling out now,” Hutcherson said.

Inside of Hutcherson’s home, the tree damaged most of the house roof leaving pieces of sheetrock and insulation all through the home. He’s grateful no one was at home at the time of the accident.

“I was in the area, and I noticed it was getting dark, cloudy and winds were picking up. The rain was coming, and all of a sudden I heard a big ol’ woosh! Next thing I know stuff was going everywhere,” Hutcherson said.

Several areas within the city limits saw similar scenes of downed power lines and trees. Many of the residents are left cleaning up the mess.

“Thankfully it didn’t’ last long. I think it would have done a lot more,” Phillips said.

Power crews are still working to restore power in the affected areas.

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