A 60-year-old man was killed Thursday when his house collapsed in a tornado. The tornado also caused severe damage to several homes, a nearby middle school and a 130-year-old church.
Family members said Bryan Barnes died when a tornado touched down in Wilson County early Thursday morning, damaging several buildings in the area.
“It will take a while for it to work. Because it is hard to believe,” said Norman Said Toler neighbor.
Neighbors like Norman Toler were among the first on the scene. He watched the tornado from his back porch.
The tornado was first reported in Lucama at 2:51 a.m. Thursday. WRAL News learned at least 10 homes were damaged, including Barnes’ two-story home, which collapsed on Lloyd Road.
“I looked out the back door and started praying and saw all the debris flying and said, Lord, you know I’ve worked my whole life for this stuff. Please don’t take it. And I heard it at buddy Brian’s house and jumped on my UTV and come up” said Toler.
At the scene of the accident, Toler and others discovered the destroyed wreckage, but their friend was nowhere to be found.
The neighbors first searched the surrounding fields before the rescue workers concentrated on the suspected bedroom and found Barnes there.
“I miss Bryan because he was a very good man,” said Toler.
Family members said Barnes grew up in the area and spent much of his life there. On Thursday, they walked through the remains of his home and were stunned.
Pam Berger, Barnes’ sister, said she knew the weather was bad when she heard the tornado warnings. She said she texted her brother around 3:30 a.m. Thursday and never received a response.
A WRAL News crew was on scene as neighbors searched the area, calling Barnes’ name to make sure he got out safely. Tragically, he did not survive and search and rescue teams pulled his body from the first-floor bedroom.
His sister said Barnes was a wonderful person. She pulled an Allman Brothers record from the wreckage and plans to leave it to his adult children.
Neighbors told WRAL News they were concerned because a man in his 60s lives in the house and his truck is parked in the driveway. Barnes was not answering his phone and his bedroom is on the ground floor, neighbors said.
The other damaged homes in Wilson County were searched and evacuated.
WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth said the field around the house was littered with debris and items from the house, such as pillows and other personal items.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office urged people to avoid the area around Wiggins Mill Road and Lloyd Road, where the tornado touched down.
Roof of Springfield Middle School demolished
Springfield Middle School was also badly damaged by the tornado. Photos show the significant damage the tornado caused to the front of the building, which was built in 2000.
According to Wilson County Schools, the damage was mostly in the sixth and seventh grade hallways, where parts of the roof were missing or damaged. Fortunately, no students or staff were in the building.
A viewer sent WRAL News a video of the damage inside the school.
Dr. Lane Mills, superintendent of Wilson County Schools, said, “This situation will continue to be ongoing and we do not yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will keep our families and staff informed of the next steps as best we can. It was heartbreaking to see the school in the immediate aftermath of the event and I want to thank all the caring people who have already offered help and support.”
Governor Roy Cooper visited Lucama on Thursday to inspect the damage to the school.
“Thank God the children weren’t there when the storm hit,” Cooper said. “What a devastating blow to this school… they still have a lot of work ahead of them to get the school back up and running.”
WRAL News spoke with Seth Smith, who lives near the school. He said the tornado rocked his house.
“My wife said she felt the house shaking,” he said. “I didn’t notice because we were in the shower stall. We went to our safe place.”
WRAL News spoke with Marcus Spell, the former school principal.
“I had to see it for myself,” he said. “There are a lot of memories here, I spent 17 years in the building … it makes it hard to sit here and look at it.”
Spell said he lives near the school and several people have sent him messages to ask if he is OK.
“A large part of this community – students, teachers, administrators – have been messaging me and asking if I’m OK,” he said.
Tornado destroys Wilson Church
In addition to the homes and school, the tornado destroyed a historic church in Wilson.
Pastor Tim Woodard said Friendship Primitive Baptist Church has been around for over 100 years.
“It’s a blessing for a 130-year-old church to have survived this long,” Woodard said.
Video from Drone 5 shows the full impact of the tornado that touched down early Thursday morning. Woodard said he doesn’t question why things happen.
“This was done for a specific reason and with a specific purpose,” Woodard said.
The damage is enormous: water collects around the pews and trees pierce the building.
Ernest Melton, a member of the Union Primitive Baptist Association, said he always came to watch his father and grandfather preach.
“I call it the ‘Church of Good Times,'” he said. “When you hear the word friendship, you think of brotherly love. It’s just a nice feeling to know you’re going to friendship.”
Ruth Bailey, a resident of Lucama, said the spirit of the church reached beyond its walls.
Her spirit reached beyond its walls.
“It is an integral part here in Lucama,” said Bailey. “IIt’s been here as long as I’ve been alive.
Friendship Primitive Baptist Church is part of a network of nine churches, so the congregation used the monthly rather than weekly schedule. The pastor said he did not know if the building would be repaired.
Last tornado death in North Carolina in April 2011
The last death from a tornado in North Carolina occurred on April 16, 2011, when EF3 tornadoes touched down in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Sanford.
In Raleigh, the Stony Brook North Mobile Home Park was one of the hardest hit areas, with 27 homes destroyed and four children killed. A record 30 tornadoes were confirmed across North Carolina that day.
Debby triggered more than 18 tornado warnings in central North Carolina on Thursday and one in Sampson County on Wednesday. Four tornadoes were confirmed Thursday in Wilson, Edgecombe, Franklin and Vance counties.
Tornado shakes Franklin County
Northwest of Wilson County, the National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado swept through Franklin County, knocking down several trees on White Level Road. Additional damage was reported on Hickory Road, where the tornado depressed Power lines, tore down trees and caused major damage
Dwight Neal said he heard the noise Wind at 8:30 a.m. minutes later, he witnessed the consequences.
“Five trees fell in a hurry… (it happened) very quickly and very loudly,” Neal said. “It only took a minute.”
Trees were lying around in front of a house, Courtyard and windows were WRAL News spoke with the owner’s parents, who were thankful their adult son was not in the house when the disaster occurred.
According to Franklin County EMS, no injuries were reported in the area.
