Raleigh NC Tornados: North Carolina without Power and 23 Dead in Wake of Storms

Tornado and Storm Destruction Raleigh NC -Credit:Chris Keane/Reuters

The same storm system which caused tornados and mass destruction in the South on Friday, swept through the east coast on Saturday leaving more death and destruction in its wake. North Carolina was one of many states hit hard by the devastation.

According to reports, the death toll in North Carolina has reached 23. One of the hardest hit areas was reportedly in Raleigh NC, and the surrounding area, where a string of violent tornados passed through the town. In addition to those killed, approximately 130 were injured and many homes and buildings were destroyed.

Reports indicated that this morning hundreds of thousands of residents were without power as the storm toppled trees bringing down the power lines with it. In the aftermath, Governor Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency to speed up the recovery efforts.

The storms first began in Oklahoma on Thursday before moving across the Southeast and eventually wreaking havoc across the east and mid-Atlantic states where it was responsible for at least 37 deaths.

The impact of the weather was also felt as far north as New York and New Jersey where winds in excess of 50 miles per hour severely delayed air traffic and forced numerous missed approaches for landing aircraft.