In a devastating weather event, a Pfizer factory in North Carolina has been leveled by an EF-3 tornado with winds up to 135mph, leading to the scattering of approximately 50,000 pallets of medicines across the wreckage.
On Wednesday, the tornado originated near Nashville, North Carolina, around 12:35 pm and cut a path of destruction northeast through Rocky Mount, a town situated 60 miles to the east of Raleigh.
The town is home to the severely impacted Pfizer facility.
The tornado finally exhausted its energy in Scotland Neck, located 40 miles from the storm’s genesis.
There have been no reported serious injuries from the incident.
However, the destruction has been vast, with homes losing roofs and power lines getting toppled in Nash County.
As stated by Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone, the Pfizer warehouse bore the brunt of the damage.
“I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind,” Stone informed.
Pfizer described the afflicted site as “one of the largest sterile injectable facilities in the world,” spanning over 250 acres with a manufacturing space of 1.4 million square feet.
The facility annually produces nearly 400 million units, accounting for about 25 percent of all sterile injectables used in U.S. hospitals.
Moreover, the site manufactures vials, syringes, IV bags, and bottles of various medical substances, including anesthesia, analgesia, therapeutics, anti-infectives, and neuromuscular blockers.
Pfizer commented on the situation saying, “We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production.”
The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-3, which, according to the Enhanced Fujita scale, can reach wind speeds of up to 165 mph.
This is a developing story.