A tornado has heavily damaged a large Pfizer pharmaceutical complex in North Carolina, the latest extreme weather event to wreak havoc on communities across the U.S. after torrential floods ravaged communities in Kentucky and scorching heat smothered areas from South Florida to California. The company confirmed the damage to the massive manufacturing complex in Rocky Mount. Still, it said in an email that it had no reports of significant injuries, and all employees were evacuated and accounted for.
The National Weather Service rated the twister as an EF-3, which means it had winds up to 150 miles per hour. It was the first EF-3 tornado to hit central North Carolina this month. The agency is assessing the damage to determine its impact on production.
The complex is one of the world’s most extensive sterile injectable product facilities. According to the company’s website, it produces anesthesia and other drugs, as well as nearly 25% of the sterile injection medications used in hospitals nationwide. The company says the Rocky Mount plant has over 1.4 million square feet of space and is on 250 acres.
Some of the buildings at the complex were destroyed, and a portion of the roof was ripped off. Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told reporters that medicine and debris were strewn across the site.
The facility, located about 50 miles northeast of Raleigh, has a staff of 4,500 professionals and focuses on manufacturing products like anti-infectives, neuromuscular blockers, vials, and syringes. The company focuses on producing these drugs for hospitals, treating patients suffering from various diseases and conditions.
Pfizer said it was assessing the damage to the facility and will be determining its impact on production. It said the company also has a network of other plants and is redistributing production to those sites.
The company also has several other locations around the country where it can produce many of its medications, including an ample supply of vaccines.
Its vaccines are the primary source of protection against measles, mumps, and rubella, as well as chickenpox, shingles, and flu. The company also makes hepatitis A and B vaccines at the Rocky Mount site, with a staff of more than 600 people.
Political commentator Allen Graham tweeted a cheeky quip about the destruction of the warehouse with Covid vaccines: “A Pfizer Warehouse Full of Covid Vaccines Was Just DESTROYED by a Tornado in North Carolina,” he wrote, adding a row of eye emojis.
The severe weather impacted travel and caused power outages in the region. Interstate 95 was shut down in both directions between exits 138 and 141 because of the damage, and several roadways were blocked. The state’s governor issued a disaster declaration for Edgecombe and Nash counties, where heavy rains and wind-driven debris have strewn down trees and power lines. The governor’s office has urged people to stay off the roads unless necessary for safety reasons.