According to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, FEMA has enough resources to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts. However, Congress went into recess without approving more federal funding for disaster relief in the latest spending bill. FOX News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports. September 28, 2024.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – A tornado that was only on the ground for a length of about five football fields destroyed vehicles and heavily damaged buildings in a North Carolina community along I-95 on Friday.

The National Weather Service office in Raleigh said the hurricane struck around 1:30 p.m. and was estimated to have had winds of 140 mph as it rolled through the town of Rocky Mount.

“Although the route was short, the damage was extensive, with one auto repair shop having all but one of its exterior brick walls blown away and another nearby brick building completely leveled without leaving any of the walls standing. Many of the surrounding walls and buildings were damaged by bricks and blocks of wall being picked up and thrown into the walls and windows of surrounding buildings. Dozens of vehicles, including several large trucks, were lifted and tossed around,” NWS meteorologists said.

Following the incident, 15 people were confirmed injured, at least four of whom were seriously injured and were being treated at a local medical center.

The death toll rises as Helene triggers catastrophic flooding in the southeast, knocking out power to millions

The supercell that produced the tornado has been linked to the remnants of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall along the Big Bend in Florida on Thursday as a Category 4.

The hurricane's sustained wind speeds were estimated by aircraft to be around 140 miles per hour, but due to the cyclone's forward speed, it had widespread impacts from the Sunshine State to the Tennessee and Ohio valleys.

The Storm Prediction Center received initial reports of more than a dozen tornadoes, which are common when hurricanes make landfall along the Gulf Coast.

Tornado in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

(FOX Weather)

Most of Helene's tornado sightings occurred in the Carolinas, where dozens of warnings were issued during the work week as bands rotated around the hurricane.

According to damage assessments, the strongest tornado of the hurricane was the event that hit Rocky Mount, as it was an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The scale ranges from EF0, the weakest form of a tornado, to EF5, with winds of more than 200 miles per hour.

After EF3, the mayor of Rocky Mount declared a local state of emergency and promised to rebuild after the disaster.

A tornado is assigned a rating from 0 to 5 on the expanded Fujita scale to assess its intensity in terms of damage and destruction caused in the hurricane's path.

(FOX Weather)

INTERSTATE 40 partially collapses after catastrophic rainfall in North Carolina

In addition to the tornadoes, flooding was deemed catastrophic in the western portions of the Tar Heel State.

The combination of meters of water, landslides and other debris caused significant damage to infrastructure, including Interstate 40 around the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

Part of a major highway was inundated in catastrophic flooding, and officials were unsure when the highway would reopen.

The disaster killed at least 50 people, but governors in at least two southern states warn that damage tolls will rise in the coming days.