WINDSOR, N.C. — Bertie County Manager Scott Sauer confirmed that at least two people have died in a tornado Tuesday morning, after Tropical Storm Isaias brought strong winds to the area.
Both Gov. Roy Cooper and Sauer did not share any details about the victims' identity.
Officials were still searching for three to four people who were unaccounted for in the Morning Road area by 10:30 a.m.
Sheriff John Holley said he's been with the office for 38 years, and hadn't seen anything like this.
"Just to go back now - in that area - it don't look real," he said.
He'd been familiar with that community, and said the change was like something out of a movie.
"A couple of [homes] are actually gone," he said. "You know, a house was there, but nothing is there now."
Holley said Department of Transportation teams were called out to clear some blocked roads in the area, so deputies could check on people who lived past the downed trees.
Around 6 a.m., Bertie County officials confirmed radar reports that there had been a tornado in the area in the early morning hours of August 4.
In a Facebook post, Bertie officials said the tornado touched down in the Windsor area. By its 6 a.m. post, officials said the extent of the tornado damage hadn't been measured.
"We are asking that our community allow us time to gather and properly verify more information from the various law enforcement agencies and first responders still working to secure the area," they wrote.