‘A path of destruction.’ Three dead after tornado rips through coastal NC community

Three people were killed and at least 10 were injured after a suspected tornado hit Brunswick County along the North Carolina coast late Monday, officials say.

The damage in the southeastern part of the county is “devastating,” officials said, and thousands of people were still without power Tuesday afternoon.

The three people who died were in the Ocean Ridge Plantation area, where at least 50 homes were damaged, officials said. The area features four golf courses and describes itself as “southeastern North Carolina’s most exclusive and luxurious golf and beach community.”

During a press conference Tuesday, officials said no one else is missing in the area. But several people had to be rescued because they were trapped in their homes by debris, according to Brunswick County Emergency Services.

“The path that that thing took, it absolutely destroyed everything,” said Tim Cate, a golf course architect who worked to design the Ocean Ridge courses and has an office there.

“Like saying a bomb went off, that doesn’t do it justice,” Cate said. “It’s awful. ...That thing came through there, and it’s a path of destruction. Some of the houses, there’s nothing vertical left.”

Brunswick County officials said the twister touched down with “minimal warning.” The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning around 11:44 p.m. Monday, predicting the area could see tornadoes, localized flooding and hail.

The tornado ripped through the area about six minutes later, officials said.

Sheriff John W. Ingram V advised people who don’t live in the area to “stay away until we have an opportunity to assess the damages.”

Brunswick County is south of Wilmington and along the South Carolina border.

A temporary shelter is now open for residents displaced by the storm.

Damage was also reported in the Grissettown area along U.S. 17, according to the National Weather Service. Multiple structures were damaged along Old Shallotte Road and inside the Ocean Ridge Plantation community, which includes neighborhoods built around its four golf courses known as The Big Cats, officials said.

“There is a significant amount of damage, both structural and debris. ... Several homes were destroyed,” county officials said in a Facebook post.

Road conditions were described as “dangerous” in the immediate area, particularly in the Seaside community, officials said.

Northbound traffic on U.S. 17 was being rerouted due to downed power lines. At least 3,200 people were without power early Tuesday, according to utility co-op Brunswick Electric.

Brunswick County Schools said all schools are closed Tuesday for students and staff.

A path of damage in Ocean Ridge runs from U.S. 17 to the property entrance on N.C. 904, across the Lion’s Paw Golf Links course, Cate said. “It’ll never be the same,” Cate said. “It’s damage like I’ve never seen before.”