ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – The spring severe weather season is at its peak here in the east, which is why people need to know how to be prepared.
There were 300 confirmed tornadoes nationwide in April according to the National Weather Service. The extreme weather last month across the United States is the second highest number on record since 2011.
“A lot of wind, rain severe lightning,” said Dennis Webber, a resident of Onslow County. “Our power went out for about 10 to 15 seconds.”
Webber says he’s lived in the area for years, which is how he has seen the pretty and nasty weather in Onslow County. A few years ago, he even experienced a tornado.
“There was a lot of wind,” said Webber. “Debris was flying everywhere, trees were down, power was out and there was damage to vehicles and trees fallen on houses.”
Onslow County Emergency Services describes hurricane season as much worse, but weather is unpredictable. Norm Bryson, the Onslow County Emergency Services Director, says preparation still needs to be talked about.
“When we talk about preparedness kits,” said Bryson. “We call them all hazard preparedness kits not just for hurricanes. We are prone to have tornadoes and severe weather.”
Storms across the east have happened periodically over the last few weeks. Frequent reports after storms to Onslow County Emergency Services are property damage and wooden fences.
“When people start sharing reports,” said Bryson, “A lot of the damages we do get are trampolines or fences along those lines. For emergency services, what we are looking for is actual physical home damage. We are looking for damages occurring to buildings.”
Over the years, emergency services say though storms are unavoidable, homeowners should be alert.
“In these thunderstorms,” said Bryson. “The lightning strikes are worrisome, especially in the residential areas. We have had storms in the area that have had five or six houses struck through one storm with lightning.”
Bryson suggests that people download an app and enable notifications for severe weather alerts specifically during this time of the year.
Severe weather season is until June, which is the beginning of hurricane season.