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Brunswick County

A tornado ripped through the coastline of North Carolina’s Brunswick County, killing at least three people and injuring 10 others, authorities said.

The tornado hit early Tuesday morning in southeastern Brunswick County near Seaside Rd. and Highway 17 in the Ocean Ridge Plantation Community, destroying homes and leaving a path of destruction including thousands without electricity, according to news reports.

“It’s something like I have never seen before. A lot of destruction. It’s going to be a long recovery process,” Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram said at a press conference early Tuesday.

Ingram said Brunswick County Emergency Management were searching for people unaccounted for and trapped inside homes. As daylight hits, crews will be able to further assess the damage in the area. 

The storm is part of the larger weather system that is bringing bitterly cold temperatures to much of the U.S., including a major ice storm causing a state of emergency in Central Texas.