Plenty of damage was reported across Wake County, and particularly in northeast Raleigh, from Sunday’s tornado outbreak in North Carolina spawned from the remnants of Isaias.
People in northeast Raleigh were able to get some much-needed rest Sunday night after an extraordinarily long day that began when one of at least five tornadoes hit central North Carolina.
People have shared videos that show just how rapidly the situation escalated, and deescalated, Sunday afternoon. In a matter of seconds, a tornado ripped through a few northeast Raleigh neighborhoods, including the Neuse Crossing neighborhood:
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WRAL News spoke to one man in that neighborhood who had to run to safety in his home as the storm passed through.
Erik Grubbs’ Sunday quickly went from relaxing to alarming. As he was watching football in the living room while the rain fell outside, he heard what sounded like a freight train coming his way.
“I sit on the couch watching football and doing laundry. And thank God for the alerts. I’ll say that first and foremost,” Grubbs said.
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Grubbs immediately ran for safety in his own home, running away from the windows in his living room to a sturdy bathroom in the center of his home on the lowest level as meteorologists tell people to do during these situations.
“As soon as I closed this door right here and took shelter right in here, this window blew out. And I mean, you heard like shrapnel. You heard the glass hitting the bathroom door. I thought… I thought… thought it was going to be a lot worse, man, for a second there, buddy,” Grubbs said.
When the tornado passed, Grubbs found his living room in chaos. The roof was caved in, and sunlight was shining through the broken ceiling. Broken glass and insulation was scattered across his living room and furniture.
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He said the experience, while absolutely terrifying, was eye-opening for him.
“A thought that ignited thankfulness and perspective. Definitely makes you pause and think for a second. Certainly made me realize what’s important today,” he said. “I would have been sitting right there when that roof was collapsing.”
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He said the things that can be replaced will be. In the meantime, he’ll be staying with a friend while his home is fixed up.