Saturday, July 21, 2018


Sanatoriums and Asylums of Eastern North Carolina



While I have used this blog site to discuss historical disasters, for this entry, I will discuss the release of my book that profiles many of the historical locations associated with medical care in Eastern North Carolina over the past 150 years.



The Front cover Features the S.R. Fowle Memorial Hospital in Washington, NC. 

Sanatoriums and Asylums of Eastern North Carolina is a book discussing the history of the various medical facilities in Eastern North Carolina over the past 150 years. Filled with images, postcards in many cases, many of these buildings are either no longer in use as they once were or have long since disappeared. I have included several images here used in the book or did not make the cut for the book because I had a different image. 



Sanatoriums and Asylums of Eastern North Carolina will be available at most online sites where you purchase books as of July 30, 2018.  Personalized copies can be purchased here after August 15 by clicking on the "Buy Now" button that will take you to PayPal (which provides a safe and secure online purchase option) to complete the purchase. 




The back cover features what was once the largest and most modern hospital in North Carolina, the James B. Walker Memorial Hospital in Wilmington. Walker was a Richmond Va. builder who was awarded the contract to build the US Marine Hospital in Wilmington in 1856. The hospital opened in 1859 but by that time Walker had fallen in love with the city and never left other than to build other buildings including the Western North Carolina Asylum. Nevertheless, he always returned and in his waning years, built a hospital and donated most of his wealth to creating this hospital. Sadly, it opened just months after his death in 1901.


For a personalized copy, please click the Buy It Now button (checkout with PayPal) and email me with anything you would like to have me highlight for you. Rdkearns001@gmail.com.  The price reflects the Retail Price set by Arcadia Publishing as well as Media Mail. I will upgrade your purchase to USPS Priority Mail at no additional charge. 





Thanks to Arcadia Publishing for the efforts needed to put this together. To purchase a standard copy, most local book stores in Eastern North Carolina and shops at historical sites will stock the book. Nevertheless, the online options include:

Arcadia Publishing: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467128582
Books A Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sanatoriums-Asylums-Eastern-North-Carolina/Dr-Randy-D-Kearns/9781467128582?id=7335634386760
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sanatoriums-Asylums-Eastern-Carolina-Postcard/dp/1467128589 
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sanatoriums-and-Asylums-of-Eastern-North-Carolina/979135086?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227161121524&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=272321667487&wl4=pla-451680883359&wl5=1021123&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=979135086&wl13=&veh=sem

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sanatoriums-and-asylums-of-eastern-north-carolina-dr-randy-d-kearns/1128018071?ean=9781467128582&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_New+Core+Shopping+Top+Margin+EANs_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP210221&gclid=CjwKCAjws8vaBRBFEiwAQfhs-K5TZKe9mEWSOUmDZC-z2IxuxEuvCJwfXUbr7NSDVMxJ0NhQQrCU_BoClO0QAvD_BwE


ISBN: 9781467128582
: Arcadia Publishing
: 07/30/2018
: North Carolina
: Postcard History Series
: 204 Black And White
: 128
: 6.5 (w) x 9.25 (h) 


Table of Contents:


Acknowledgements

Introduction

1             Mental Illness (Insane Asylum) versus Mental Retardation                                 P11

2             Sanatoriums                                                                                                         P21

3             Marine, Railroad, and Port (Quarantine/Lazaretto) Camps and Hospitals           P33

4             “Colored” or “Negro” Sanatoriums and Hospitals                                                P43

5            American Civil War Hospitals                                                                               P47

6            Military and Veterans Hospitals; including those of WWI and WWII                    P61

7            Temporary Hospitals; including influenza, measles, war and natural disaster     P69

8            General Hospitals                                                                                                 P75

   9            Medical Schools, Nursing Education, Almshouses, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Ambulances, and Artifacts of Medicine                                             P115

Bibliography                                                                                                                     P126



While the book features 200 plus images, included below are several select images from the book.


In 1914, the original Albemarle Hospital opened on Riverside Avenue. In 1923, the 45-bed hospital was identified as the Pasquotank Municipal Hospital Association Inc. (American Medical 1923) Elizabeth City is located on the Albemarle Sound and next to the inter-coastal waterway that connects much of the east coast. The city is a common harbor for pleasure boats, shipping, and commerce.


Jacob Franklin Highsmith opened a doctor’s office in Fayetteville on Green Street, with rooms above for patients who needed to stay overnight in 1896. In 1899, Dr. JH Marsh joined Dr. Highsmith, the facility expanded to Market Street and became known as the Marsh-Highsmith Sanatorium. In 1902, Dr. Highsmith purchased Dr. Marsh’s interest, and it was renamed Highsmith Hospital.



The St. Luke’s Sanatorium opened in 1905 in Fayetteville. (American Medical 1906) Dr. JH Marsh who had partnered with Dr. Highsmith when the Highsmith Marsh Sanitorium first opened in Fayetteville, was the PIC. St. Luke’s Sanatorium would become known as St. Luke’s Hospital and Dr. Marsh’s Sanatorium. By 1916, the Sanatorium was no longer listed.


December 17, 1917, the Charlotte Observer reported a severe Measles outbreak at Fort Caswell in Brunswick County. A Quarantine camp surrounding the post hospital was established at the fort. 


 The first patient was admitted to the “Asylum for the Colored Insane” August 1, 1880. Governor Zebulon B. Vance described the site near Goldsboro in Wayne County as ideal because of its “good elevation in a high state of cultivation and central location for the black population.”  While it had several official names, listed here it was the Eastern Hospital of North Carolina. Today, known as Cherry Hospital.

The Odd Fellows Home in Goldsboro opened in 1892 as an orphanage. This massive complex would grow to include residential housing for the elderly (identified as the Old Folk’s Home) and an infirmary. In 1914, the 126-bed campus identified Wagner as the Superintendent. (American Medical 1914) This postcard is an image of the first building.

Dr. William Spicer’s 25- bed sanitarium (also printed as sanatorium) was established in 1914. (American Medical 1923) The sanitarium was the only approved Goldsboro hospital for “nurse training” in 1931. The Spicer Sanitarium, later operated by the Spicer Brothers (doctors) closed in 1944 after the death of one brother and the poor health of the other. The sanitarium once stood on West Ash Street near the train station. 

 Pictured above, the 42-bed Pitt Community Hospital, (also called Greenville Community) opened in 1924 (41 white, one colored bed) at the corner of Johnston and Woodlawn Streets. September 1923, during construction, a temporary hospital opened at 210 East Fifth Street (above a hardware store). In 1935, the hospital split into two divisions with Pitt Community operating a clinic and taking the surgical patients and Pitt General Hospital serving the charity care patients (same building). Creation of the two divisions was done to take advantage of Duke Endowment funds. Pitt General absorbed the Pitt Community assets in 1940. Pitt General closed when Pitt Memorial opened in 1951 with the county purchasing the assets. 



One of the state’s first hospitals, the Robert Bruce McDaniel Memorial Hospital opened in 1905 on East Gordon Street. The JA McDaniel family donated the hospital property in memory of their son (Robert Bruce) who succumbed to an illness. The two principle physicians were Drs. JM and WT Parrott. In 1914, the brothers acquired the hospital outright and renamed it for their mother; the Elisabeth Waters Parrott Memorial Hospital.


Owned by John Washington Stewart, (who also owned the Hazelton Hotel) the Stewart Sanatorium was located northwest of Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern. The sanatorium opened July 15, 1908 and operated as a public hospital. By 1912, the 21-bed hospital was led by Maybelle Corington, superintendent. (American Medical 1912) The building was destroyed in the great New Bern fire (1922).


The St Luke’s Hospital opened in 1914, at 403 Broad Street (corner of George Street) New Bern. The Sisters of St. Josephs of Newark, NJ purchased St. Luke’s in 1944. A three-story addition on the George Street side more than doubled the facility to 65 beds and 20 bassinets. It was seldom financially stable. In 1961, local citizens approved funding to build a consolidated Craven County Hospital.


In 1892, the ACL Relief Department Hospital was built in Rocky Mount (which borders Nash and Edgecombe Counties) for employees and their dependents. A major railroad of the time was the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL). The 35-bed hospital opened in 1899 under the direction of Dr. EB Quillen in 1906. (American Medical 1906) The hospital was lost to fire later in the 1920’s.


The Rocky Mount Sanitarium opened in 1913. The horse-drawn ambulance was one of the services provided by the hospital.




In 1882, the original Smithville quarantine station was destroyed by fire (Smithville was renamed Southport in 1887). Although beset by several delays, the US Marine Hospital Service authorized construction of a replacement facility. Completed in 1897, it was located just offshore (upriver near the Price’s Creek Lighthouse). The image circa 1907, included buildings described as quarters for detained sailors, a hospital, and a wharf. The Station was led by Dr. Julius Arthur Dosher who served as the Acting Assistant Surgeon in the US Public Health Service. By the mid-1930’s, the quarantine process was replaced by international public health laws for international trade. The station closed in 1937. 



The Washington Hospital was established in 1904 (also known as the River View/Riverview Hospital) in Beaufort County. Dr. DT Tayloe (pictured on the porch here) operated the 35-bed hospital. He later purchased the private hospital, adding to the building and renaming it the Tayloe Hospital. It closed when the Beaufort County Hospital opened in 1958.





The Community Hospital opened in 1920 at 415 North Seventh Street. While the two Wilmington hospitals offered “colored beds” or “colored wards” only white physicians had privileges to see patients in those hospitals. Seven African American physicians organized a medical society, raised funds and purchased the Niestlie Drug Store. It became their first hospital building. By 1923, this was a 50-bed hospital, led by Dr. Foster F. Burnett, PIC. Pictured here, the new Community Hospital building opened in 1939 along with a nursing education program on South 11th Street. (1923, Eaton 1965) The hospital served the “colored patients” of the greater Wilmington area until along a community bond was passed to build a large regional hospital in 1961. It closed in 1966 along with the James Walker Hospital, when patients were moved to the New Hanover Memorial Hospital. (New Hanover County Public Library.)





The US Marine Hospital in Wilmington was built in the block bordered by 8th, Nun, 13th and Ann streets. The Confederate Government seized the hospital, and it became Confederate General Hospital #5. The medical records of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment from 1862-64 show 2,180 men used this hospital. The Medical officer (Surgeon) was Dr. TR Micks. In 1865, when the Union Army captured Wilmington, this hospital was used for Union troops. While the hospital played multiple roles during the American Civil War and in the years that followed during the occupation, between the depressed economy and the emergence of civilian hospitals, demand for the service continued to decline until it ultimately closed. The hospital building was torn down in 1951.  (New Hanover County Public Library.)



The Wilson Sanitorium was located at 216-218 E Nash Street. Established in 1895 as a 25-bed hospital, the PIC was Dr. ET Dickinson in 1923. (American Medical 1923) This promotional image of the sanitorium includes their horse-drawn ambulance. (Digital NC, contributing institution is the Wilson County Public Library.)



 
In 1912, the Wilson Hospital and Tubercular Home/Mercy Hospital opened on East Green Street. This was the first hospital for “colored only” in the region. By 1923, it had 16 beds, 12 TB beds, and Dr. FS Hargrave was the PIC. (American Medical 1923) The hospital closed in 1964 when the area hospitals merged into one large general hospital; Wilson Memorial. (Digital NC, contributing institution is the Wilson County Public Library.)

***Please note that I made a reasonable effort to catalog the asylums, sanatoriums, hospitals and those clinics used as hospitals across Eastern North Carolina as I worked on this project. Nevertheless, I realize there are communities where I could not find sufficient information or where I may have missed a hospital entirely before the deadline for publication. Two immediately come to mind; Bethel Clinic and Our Community Hospital in Scotland Neck. Nevertheless, if you know of others, please forward me whatever you can share so that we can include it in future works.


Randy Kearns rdkearns001@gmail.com or randy_kearns@med.unc.edu.


Thanks.


New Additions

After the book wrapped up, I received additional facility information that was not included in this book.  As those materials become available, I'll post them here.

New editions include:

 Bethel - Bethel Clinic
Opened in 1950 and at one point, operated up to 14 beds. Most recently, the clinic was operated by Vidant Health but has since closed due to the declining visits and population of the community. 



Scotland Neck - Our Community Hospital
Originally built with Hill Burton Funding, the hospital struggled for years. Converted to a CAH but in late 2017 announced it would cease inpatient hospital operations and only operate as a long term care and assisted living facility after December 31, 2017. (Image from the Scotland Neck Commonwealth 1993).





Elizabeth City - Pasquotank Asylum 

Operated as a "colored asylum" in the 1930's, the remaining building can be found at the corner of Hoffler Street and 1321 Southern Ave. (Google Maps 2014)




No Image Available



Camp Wyatt Confederate Camp – Confederate Hospital

The Camp Wyatt Confederate Camp included a hospital and a commissary. It was located approximately 2 miles north of Fort Fisher. 







Fort Ocracoke Beacon Island – Union Hospital


Small fort was built on Beacon Island (lies between Portsmouth and Ocracoke). The earthen fort was built to protect the Ocracoke Inlet. Confederates destroyed most of the fort and abandoned the property in late July 1861. Union forces seized and occupied the island in September 1861 for the remainder of the war. Union forces rebuilt a fort naming it Fort Morgan, added a prison stockade and a hospital. The island has not been inhabited since the 1860's and nothing remains today that reflects this history. 





East Carolina Teachers Training School Infirmary – College Hospital

This is the East Carolina Teachers Training School, predecessor of East Carolina University in Greenville. This Infirmary was later transitioned to another use as the home economics department and renamed in honor of Mamie E. Jenkins. Built in 1909 and used as the Infirmary until 1929. It was replaced by the Student Health Services Infirmary in 1930.


 Several points of clarification since publication. 

 The Parrott Brothers are believed to have operated the first hospital based X-Ray machine. However, it was a group of students who at Davidson College in 1889 who probably produced the first X-Ray in the US. The literature further discusses that the equipment was used several times in Charlotte to confirm ingestion of items in kids and served as  the clinical reason for surgery.

There is no evidence that the equipment was installed in a hospital. Thus the claim by Parrott Hospital (first with an X-Ray in NC) at this point, remains accurate.

The Bulluck Hospital in Wilmington is believed to have hired the first female physician to work for a hospital in 1923 (Anne T Smith of Durham). She was not the first physician in NC but was the first to be hired by a hospital.

The Bulluck Hospital in Wilmington closed briefly in 1944 upon the death of Dr. Earnest Southerd Bulluck (the owner at the time). It was reopened shortly thereafter by Drs. WC Mebane, HR Coleman, EP Walker and RT Sinclair. It would close when Drs. Mebane, Walker and Dr. Sam Pace joined the physicians who were opening Cape Fear Memorial Hospital in 1953.

 


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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

83 Years Ago Today: Cleveland Clinic Fire 1929

In 1929, the Cleveland Clinic was only 8 years old. Today, one of the best health systems in the country, but 83 years ago today was one of it's darkest.

The clinic (adjacent to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital) was damaged by a fire that reportedly occurred when x-ray film (in those days comprised of nitrocellulose) was stored too close to an incandescent light bulb. The heat from the light bulb igniting the x-ray film, it is believed, caused the fire. Burning this product led to an incredible release of a toxic gas. Two associated explosions occurred during the fire and as this highly toxic gas spread throughout the clinic, dozens died within minutes of inhaling the vapors. 123 died as a result of the fire and more specifically, the toxic fumes, a byproduct of the nitrocellulose burning.

A city policeman (Ernest Staab) was credited with saving 21 victims before also dying from exposure to the toxic fumes. Another death of note from this tragedy included Dr. John Phillips, one of the four physicians who founded the Cleveland Clinic.

Changes that followed the fire included the City of Cleveland issuing gas masks to firefighters (not SCBA in those days but a step closer to recognizing the need to provide respiratory protection for firefighters) "and a proposed city ambulance service".

National changes included some of the first efforts to regulate the storage and use of hazardous materials. Additionally, the x-ray film industry developed a "safety film" that within the next five years had generally supplanted the nitrocellulose in the world of radiology.


From an article on the Associated Press wire; May 16, 1929.

"The fumes were given off by fire of undetermined origin which destroyed X-ray films in the basement. Some pharmacists said it was bromine gas, while DR. WILLIAM E. LOWER, one of the founders of the clinic, said it resembled the deadly phosgene gas employed in the World war. It was ironic that the disaster occurred in the very place where the most advanced instruments and laboratories of science had been turned against pain and death. The clinic was owned principally by DR. GEORGE W. CRILE, nationally known physician, who was too occupied with relief work to comment of the catastrophe.A block away he was blinded by the gas. The first firemen to arrive turned in a second alarm and police, hospital and county morgue ambulances were concentrated about the building.
Battalion Fire Chief JAMES P. FLYNN, with his driver, LOUIS HILLENBRAND, were the first to enter the building. They reached the roof and chopped a hole leading to a stairway, then dropped a ladder to the fourth floor landing. Below they found sixteen bodies, one a doctor and another a nurse, strewn along the staircase.
The physician, DR. J. L. LOCKE, was taken out first and was revived. Five of the others were taken to the roof and carried down ladders as arriving firemen battered in windows to reach those inside.
Ambulances and taxicabs were used to take them to hospitals. DR. GEORGE W. CRILE, head of the clinic, gave orders that all victims be taken to the closest source of oxygen, their only hope of life."

Sources for the blog were found here:

http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Research/cleveland.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic_fire_of_1929

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=490

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CCD

http://www3.gendisasters.com/ohio/2728/cleveland,-oh-clinic-explosion-fire,-may-1929





Additional photos can be found here:

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=subjec&CISOROOT=all&CISOBOX1=Cleveland+Clinic+Disaster

Note from the author:
There is a relentless ebb and flow regarding the debate of too much and too little "government regulation" that demands our attention on an ongoing basis. Each disaster compels us to visit and revisit rules and regulations to determine if they (those rules and regulations) are either current or applicable. In a free market economy (which I'll add is the best in the world) there are always balances that must be measured to assure businesses remain healthy and profitable and yet, employees and in this case, visitors and patients as well, are safe from dangers such as occurred in this situation. Each disaster cries out to say, don't let this happen again. Our best efforts are generally limited to the chances the "this" of the last disaster does not happen again. Nevertheless, while we are more likely to recognize the hazards and vulnerabilities of our last disaster and act accordingly, the hazard and vulnerability analysis process continues to be an evolving part art and part science of the disaster community.

As with this disaster, the body of science gave us safer clinics and hospitals. This led to new regulations as previously discussed. Not all disasters are foreseen and thus minimized or averted but when they do happen, and we learn from them, they are less likely to impact our lives in such a tragic way. Choosing not to learn from our past tragedies is the least expensive option for the moment but the cost over time can be and generally is enormous in terms of both lives and property. 

Randy Kearns
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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Hurricane Irene 2011


This is a big deal.

Governor Perdue Declares State of Emergency for eastern NC Counties.
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemID=1984
(image posted is from the Facebook website for the NC Ambulance Strike Teams)

President Obama has Declared an Emergency for North Carolina

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=57384

So, what does this do? It allows FEMA to "lean forward" and begin to push assets into staging areas as well as create a funding source for state agencies such as State Medical Assistance Teams (SMAT), NC Urban Search and Rescue Teams (USAR), and Ambulance Strike Teams (ASTs) to also preposition so that actual response is timely and expeditiously.

North Carolina consistently ranks as one of the best prepared states in America and given the 2011 Spring Tornadoes, the Earthquake felt in North Carolina on Tuesday August 23 and the arrival of Hurricane Irene on Saturday the 27th, Irene will again, test that preparedness.
First Post 8/25/2011 check back for updates.

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

North Carolina Tornadoes 2011




Initial Edition 08:30 4/17
Revised 09:00 4/17
Revised 14:00 4/17
Revised 15:45 4/17
Revised 16:00 4/17
Revised 19:15 4/17
Revised 22:00 4/17
Revised 07:00 4/18
Revised 16:00 4/18
Revised 08:00 4/19
Revised 18:00 4/19
Revised 21:30 4/19
Revised 20:00 4/22 Just a note to reflect that the response period is over and no further entries will be made on this particular entry.

The follow on article of this blog will be the North Carolina Tornadoes 2011 -Recovery

President Declares parts of North Carolina a disaster area. Breaking news being reported now onhttp://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8082131

North Carolina Tornadoes 2011 - Response

During the afternoon of April 16, 2011, a swath of severe weather swept across North Carolina, with areas hardest impacted being east of US 1. The initial report, suggested at least 62 tornadoes struck the state leaving damage in 20 of the state's 100 counties. As of this afternoon (4/19) the number has been revised to 25 tornadoes produced by 12 supercell thunderstorms with five of the tornadoes being identified as EF3 in intensity. The damage is reported now in 32 of the states 100 counties. A disaster declaration has been submitted for 18 of the hardest hit counties; Bertie, Bladen, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Onslow, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Wake and Wilson counties.

According to the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, 22 were killed in the series of tornadoes in North Carolina (Saturday 4/16). While several reports, WRAL the morning of the 17th and NBC 17 which initially reported more deaths, at this point, both have revised their report of fatalities down to 22 by16:00 4/17. http://www2.nbc17.com/weather/2011/apr/16/129/another-round-storms-heading-towards-central-nc-ar-951325/ A number of news outlets during their evening broadcasts 18:00 4/18 are reporting 23 fatalities but at this point there is nothing confirming that number and no articles posted online. (Editorial note, I can only add up 21 based on the confirmed reports, but various news stations are still reporting 23 at this time.) At 14:00 4/19, the six month old infant critically injured in Wake County succumbed to her injuries and died increasing the death toll to 24 as being reported now by various news outlets.

New York Times 4/19/2011 Quote of the day . . .

"All of the sudden I heard the screech, like when nails get pulled out of wood, and that really loud roar. We closed our eyes and when we woke up again we were outside."

JAMES LEVON WHITE, who survived a lethal tornado near Askewville, N.C., along with his wife, Hattie.

Historically, hurricanes are the greatest meteorological threat to North Carolinians. While tornadoes in North Carolina are typically less intense and fewer in numbers than states in the midwest, this was clearly a horrific meteorological event.

Not since the March 1984 Tornadoes (which occurred at night and killed 57 over the Carolinas, 42 in North Carolina alone) have such widespread death and devastation struck North Carolina from tornadoes and associated storms. 220,000+ homes were listed as being without power shortly after the storms passed. http://fayobserver.com/articles/2011/04/16/1087211?sac=Home
Six Urban Search and Rescue Teams were deployed Sunday across the state as more were either missing or unaccounted for by friends/families.



Stories have been told of heroism from everyday citizens such as the employee at Lowes Home Improvement store in Sanford. Seeing the oncoming storm (he/she) alerted shoppers through the overhead intercom and directed them to a safer part of the store just before the tornado struck, destroying more than half of the store. No fatalities were reported at the store despite the widespread damage and how busy the store was on a Saturday afternoon.

Incredible reports of lifesaving, search and rescue efforts on behalf of emergency responders have emerged from Wake County and Harnett County. However, knowing responders in much of this state, it is less surprising and more confirming of their skills and professionalism I've seen before from them. And, while that is only two counties, this could be said for the areas impacted as well based on what I know of those areas, I just can't confirm it with quotes or reports currently posted online from news sources.

Several Select Counties:

Bertie County - (updated 18:00 4/18) The number of those killed has fluctuated to as high as 14 the morning of the 17th, to 10 during the afternoon and now sits at 11. The worst hit area was clearly in and around the town of Askewville. Various reports indicate this damage was produced by more than one EF3 tornado.
http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/One_Confirmed_Death_In_Bertie_County_Possibility_Of_Others.html?storySection=comments
11 Are now reported to have been killed in Bertie County. http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9455587/
Several of those killed were in an Assisted Living Facility. (facility and actual number not identified.) (Based on the address and a cross reference of Assisted Living Facilities Index, this was Moore's Family Care Home (either #1 or #2) http://www.retirenet.com/community/26874-moores-family-care-home/
The Assisted Living Facility was on Morris Ford Road in Colerain, and according to the County Manager, Zee Lamb, "one or more of the fatalities were at a local assisted living facility".
Much of the damage in Bertie County occurred between the communities of Askewville and Colerain, killing 11 and destroying 68 structures.
The eleven who lost their lives include:
— Louis Chamblee, 54, Colerain.
— Gayle Hinchey, 56, Colerain.
— Barbara Lafferty, 64, Colerain
— Roy Lafferty Jr. 72, Colerain.
— Peggy Leary, 60, Colerain.
— Dorothy Mitchell, 66, Colerain.
— Robert Perry, 77, Colerain.
— Milton Sutton, 51, Colerain.
— Mildred Warren, 68, Colerain.
— Celia White, 96, Colerain.
— Helen Alston White, 90, Colerain.

Bladen County - (Updated 18:00 4/18) Previous links deleted. Four are now confirmed dead in Bladen County. Three in Ammon; Mark Avery 92, Tony Avery 50, and Darleen Zupo 53, all were off Hwy 242 at Fayetteville Rd with Tony Avery succumbing to his injuries after being transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. All were in a mobile home that was destroyed. A fourth person, Brian Baptist 50 died in Bladenboro after being "thrown against a tree" (as the tornado passed) who at the Britt's Mobile Home Park.

Cumberland, Hoke and Sampson Counties - (update 08:00 4/19) reported that one person was killed on Vault Field Road in the town of Linden Cumberland County. There is also a report that 85 were transported to the Cape Fear Valley Hospitals for their injuries. http://fayobserver.com/articles/2011/04/16/1087211?sac=Home http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9455587/ Dorothy Chambers 82, of Vault Field Road was killed when a tornado struck her house. She was there with her 78 year old husband, and her 47 year old daughter in their home when "the house began to shake and spin like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz. The Sky got dark and all of a sudden the floor started lifting up."
This tornado destroyed 167 homes, and left another 144 damaged. The damage was caused by an EF3 tornado. This tornado is believed to have originated in nearby Hoke County, came across Cumberland County and ended in Harnett County. A second tornado, and EF2 began in SE Cumberland County and ended in Sampson County.


Greene County - (updated 19:30 4/18) 150 homes damaged and the Greene County Middle School was destroyed following the tornadoes. There were no reports of serious injury.

Harnett County - Johnston County - (updated 18:00 4/18)
[Although there were early reports of one fatality in the Dunn/Johnston County area (Dunn is not in Johnston Co) there is nothing being reported at this time and that number and the source is now removed.]
Johnston Memorial Hospital reported treating 55 injuries following the disaster. Damage thus far appears to be in the area of $4.5 million. Damage in the Micro and Four Oaks communities bore the brunt of the damage and the numbers appear to suggest 100+ structures are damaged.
A FoodLion Distribution Center, a massive facility on US Hwy 301 was damaged and ammonia was reported leaking from the damage.
The damage in Harnett County is believed to have been the result of a tornado that originated in Hoke County and was an EF3. The tornado in Johnston County was an EF1.
The death in Dunn is reported to be Juan Garcia Sanchez.

Lee County - (updated 18:00 4/18) Two were reported to have been killed in Sanford, Lee County near where the tornado struck the Lowes Home Improvement Store. This tornado, was determined by the NWS as an F3, originated in Lee County, and headed north through the edge of Chatham County and swept across Wake County causing much of the damage there. http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/apr/16/possible-tornado-kills-2-lee-co-damages-sanford-lo-ar-954571/
Based on an a report on WTVD, the Lowes manager, Mike Hollowell, used the overhead paging system to direct approximately 50 employees and 60 customers to the safest part of the building "it was so tight that you couldn't move with everybody in the hallway, we got as close as we could" . . .they had a plan, they had practiced their plan and it saved lives! GREAT STORY! (it was reported 4/18 that President Obama had phoned Mr. Hollowell to offer praise for his actions, again, this is a great story worth repeating and reminding us of the importance of disaster preparedness/planning.) http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8078723
An industrial plant; Static Control was "leveled".
One fatality occurred in a home on Rice Rd east of Sanford, the second was a motorist on Rocky Fork Church Road near Lemon Springs. (names were not released.)
Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, reported seeing 35 patients after the storm.
This tornado, originated in Moore County, crossed Lee County, through the corner of Chatham County, entered Wake County and ended in Franklin County as an EF3 most of the time.
The dead are reported to be Michael Chambers of Brookhaven Drive Sanford was killed when his car was struck by a falling tree while driving in Lemon Springs. Alan Hunter also 43, of Watsons Nursery Lane in Sanford, died when his mobile home was heavily damaged.

Person County (update 08:00 4/19) Scene of the first confirmed tornado touchdown in the series of storms (although Rowan, Davie and Davidson have what may have also been an EF0 strike of a tornado/tornadoes) . No serious injuries were reported and damage details were not in the reports reviewed thus far. The Person County Tornado was an EF2.

Wake County (update 18:00 4/19)- reported that three were killed at Stony Brook North, a mobile home park in northeast Raleigh. http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9455587/
The three killed were: Kevin Coronado 3 years old, Osvaldo Coronado 8 years old, Daniel Quistan Nino 9 years old, and a 4th child is in critical condition with a severe head injury; Yaire Quistian Nino 6 month old.
Shaw University was damaged significantly in the Raleigh area, has closed and students have been told to go home, the balance of the semester including finals, has been canceled.
This particular tornado was rated as EF3 and originated in Moore County near Lee County.
An estimated 63 homes in Raleigh were destroyed and another 184 suffered major damage. The estimated damage is between $3 and $5 million.
Update 19:00 damage could reach $100 million,http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9461448/
The fourth child, Yaire Quistian Nino 6 month old is reported to have died this afternoon, 4/19.
At least 851 homes sustained minor damage in addition to the initial numbers reported.

Wilson County (updated 08:00 4/19) Touchdown of an EF2 in Wilson County with damage reports varying at this point.

Womack Army Medical Center lost power and was on generator back up power. Power was be restored to much of Fort Bragg by midday 4/17.

State officials also activated the Governor’s Hotline Tuesday. People who want to volunteer or donate goods can call toll free (888) 835-9966. The hotline will be staffed daily from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Tornadoes in North Carolina from 1950-1995

(Updated 4/17 18:00)According to a source that is validated but not for public distribution, damage has been reported in the following counties:
Beaufort
Bladen (with state of emergency currently in place)
Craven
Currituck
Dare
Cumberland (with state of emergency currently in place)
Duplin
Greene (with state of emergency currently in place)
Halifax (with state of emergency currently in place)
Hertford
Hoke
Onslow (with state of emergency currently in place)
Person
Pender (with state of emergency currently in place)
Pitt
Robeson (with state of emergency currently in place)
Sampson (with state of emergency currently in place)
Harnett (with state of emergency currently in place)
Johnson (with state of emergency currently in place)
Lee
Northampton
Wake (with state of emergency currently in place)
Wilson (with state of emergency currently in place)
Alamance
Caswell
Rockingham
Rowan
As of 18:00 4/17
Six (6) Urban Search and Rescue Teams currently deployed.
Four (4) HazMat Teams currently deployed.

For initial NWS raw data from eastern North Carolina click here:

The top image is from the National Weather Service. All other pictures are from WRAL and all rights to those images remain with those who posted the images. Their use here is through "the fair use doctrine" and intended for educational purposes only.

Also added several YouTube links to the damage as it unfolded.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUNsD63XIts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0miqGC5kL8

Shaw University being damaged . . .

For more information regarding the 1984 Tornadoes that killed 57 and occurred after dark,

For more information regarding tornadoes from North Carolina State University:


Enhanced Fujita tornado ratings based on wind speed:

EF-0 65-85 mph
EF-1 86-110 mph
EF-2 111-135 mph
EF-3 136-165 mph
EF-4 166-200 mph
EF-5 200 mph+

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