Local News

"30 Minutes" Looks Back at Powerful Twisters

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RALEIGH — April 19, 1996 - 10 a.m. EDT

Its power and fury are undeniable.

It tossed vehicles like a child playing with Matchbox cars. Trailers were torn from their foundations, obliterated by powerful winds. Trees were snapped some 30 feet above the ground.

The destruction was most evident in the Wake County town of Zebulon, about 20 miles east of Raleigh. Dozens of homes in the West Side Mobile Home Park were destroyed or heavily damaged. Classes at Zebulon Middle School were halted for two days because of tornado damage.

Tornado damage also was severe in the Franklin County crossroads of Pilot. State officials estimate the storms caused almost $8 million in damage.

WRAL-TV5 News will look back at the destruction and focus on the cleanup and rebuilding during Sunday's edition of "30 Minutes," which airs at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

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