'Thief in the middle of the night': Tropical Storm Debby spawns likely tornado that killed 1 in North Carolina

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Likely tornado kills at least 1 in North Carolina following Debby's second landfall

Tropical Storm Debby's impacts turned severe overnight in North Carolina. A likely tornado has caused damage in Wilson County, which is about an hour east of Raleigh, the state capital. There is also extensive damage at Lucama's Springfield Middle School. The National Weather Service will be going out to survey more of the damage later Thursday afternoon. FOX Weather's Robert Ray reports live from Lucama.

LUCAMA, N.C. – Tropical Storm Debby's overnight landfall in the Carolinas produced at least one likely tornado responsible for killing a person in North Carolina and destroyed part of a middle school, according to local officials. 

Debby made landfall just before 2 a.m. ET Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. At about the same time, the apparent twister was spotted in Wilson County, North Carolina, near Lucama.

A Wilson County spokesperson told FOX Weather at least one death has been attributed to the likely tornado after FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Team located the body of a missing person along Llyod Road.

Tree damage in Lucama, North Carolina, is seen after an apparent tornado hit Aug. 8, 2024, after Tropical Storm Debby's second landfall.

(Robert Ray/FOX Weather)

Wilson County Schools Superintendent Lane Mills told FOX Weather that the apparent twister destroyed parts of Springfield Middle School.

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"I am thankful that students and staff were not in the building during the time of the storm," Mills said. "This situation will be ongoing, and we don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will be sharing information and next steps with our families and staff as we can."

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Raw video: Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, NC damaged by apparent tornado

Video of Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, North Carolina, shows major damage to the school. Wilson County Public Schools told FOX Weather the impact appears to be focused on the 6th- and 7th-grade halls where sections of the roof and walls are missing or compromised.

FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray was with the Wilson County Fire Department, which went door-to-door checking on residents who had damaged their homes. Debby caught some by surprise as they were asleep when the likely tornado hit.

"It's like a nightmare," a woman told FOX Weather after first responders knocked on her door. "You think that it will never happen to you, but it happens. It's like a thief in the middle of the night."

Multiple homes were flattened by the apparent tornado, local officials told FOX Weather. 

The National Weather Service will need to perform a storm survey to confirm that a tornado caused the damage in Lucama. 

Wilson County, North Carolina first responders check on a home in Lucama after an apparent tornado hit on Aug. 8, 2024 after Tropical Storm Debby's landfall.

(Robert Ray/FOX Weather)

Debby has dropped more than 14 inches of rain in parts of southeast North Carolina, causing flash flooding across the state as the storm crawls up the Interstate 95 corridor. 

Since Debby's first landfall Monday in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, the system has continued to drop torrential rain and cause flooding and damage across the Southeast. At least seven deaths have been attributed to the storm.