At least four people were killed as tropical storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the U.S. East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people.
Hurricane Isaias has been downgraded to a tropical storm. Forecasters warn of flooding, power outages and tornadoes. 2:57
At least four people were killed as tropical storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the U.S. East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people.
Two people died when Isaias spun off a tornado that struck a North Carolina mobile home park. Authorities said two others were killed by falling trees toppled by the storm in Maryland and New York City.
More than 18 hours after coming ashore, Isaias still had sustained top winds of 105 km/h. At 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, the storm’s centre was about 35 kilometres west of Albany, N.Y.
As Isaias sped northward at 56 km/h, the National Hurricane Center warned of flash flood threats in New York’s Hudson River Valley and potential for minor to moderate river flooding elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic region.
Here are the 5pm key messages on TS #Isaias. Gusty winds and heavy rain will continue to spread northward through portions of New England through tonight. Go to https://t.co/SiZo8ozBbn for detailed information on local hazards. Latest advisory is at https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/yvn1ilpViN
Two people died after a tornado demolished several mobile homes in Windsor, N.C. Emergency responders finished searching the wreckage Tuesday afternoon. They found no other casualties, and several people initially feared missing had all been accounted for, said Ron Wesson, chair of the Bertie County Board of Commissioners. He said about 12 people were hospitalized.
Sharee and Jeffrey Stilwell took shelter in their living room about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday as the tornado tore through Windsor. Sharee Stillwell said their home shook “like a freight train.”
“I felt like the house was going to cave in,” said Jeffrey Stillwell, 65, though once the storm passed, the couple found only a few damaged shingles and fallen tree branches in the yard.
The mobile home park three kilometres away wasn’t so fortunate. Aerial video by WRAL-TV showed fields of debris where rescue workers in brightly coloured shirts picked through splintered