ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WITN) – Rocky Mount Mayor Saunders Roberson Jr. declared a state of emergency Friday evening after a tornado severely damaged part of the city and injured over a dozen people.

There was widespread damage at a Rocky Mount shopping center after an EF-3 tornado with winds of 140 mph struck Friday afternoon. The tornado lasted only three minutes on the ground before eventually dissipating and traveling nearly 0.25 miles, striking the intersection of North Wesleyan Blvd. crossed.

Much of the damage occurs at the Tiffany Square Shopping Center, located on Benvenue Road across from the Golden East Crossing Mall.

According to the Rocky Mount Fire Department, 15 people were injured, four of them seriously.

According to Nash County Emergency Management, 14 structures were damaged.

According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was on the ground for a quarter mile and was 100 feet wide. It took three minutes.

Due to the damage, Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson has declared a state of emergency until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 29th

A brick building in the mall was leveled by the wind. It housed Respracare, a medical supply store.

Jermaine Slade was on his way to lunch with his brother when he said his truck began to feel the effects of the possible tornado.

“It was raining so much that all of a sudden my truck started turning, and then I turned,” Slade said. “As I drove in, my truck completely turned over and I kept saying ‘God, Jesus, Jesus,’ and then it stopped.”

The Hing Ta restaurant at the mall was heavily damaged, while a nearby tractor-trailer overturned and several trees fell on buildings.

Alpha Automotive also sustained significant damage, with several of the company’s vehicles being tossed around by the storm.

Lisa Daniels was at a beauty salon in the mall and took cover in the back of the store. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Daniels told WITN. “I saw it on TV, but I’ve never seen it in life, so it’s the first time I’ve experienced it in life and I don’t want to watch it anymore because it really damaged all of our nerves.”

A tornado warning was in effect for Nash County when the damage occurred around 1:40 p.m

“A great destruction, my condolences go out to the families that were involved and also the business owners, but we have a resilient group of people and we will definitely bounce back,” Rocky Mount Fire Chief Darvin Moore said .

The state of emergency ends on Sunday September 29th unless extended.

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