Weather troubles: Tornado hits Pfizer plant; heat makes Delta passengers sick

Jul 20, 2023

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ben Burke (Digital Producer)

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Severe weather continues to take hold over the United States during the week of July 16, with a tornado hitting a Pfizer plant in North Carolina and passengers on a Delta flight getting sick due to the Las Vegas heat. The tornado hit just after midday on Wednesday, July 20.

There were no serious reports of injury at the Pfizer plant, with all employees safely evacuated and accounted for. However, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone reported 50,000 pallets of medicine were “strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind.”

According to the Pfizer website, the North Carolina plan produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals. Erin Fox, a senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health, said the damage “will likely lead to long-term shortages while Pfizer works to either move production to other sites or rebuilds.”

While there were no injuries at the Pfizer plant, other parts of Nash County weren’t so lucky. The county reported 13 injuries and damage to 89 buildings.

The tornado at the Pfizer plant came as the rest of the country deals with searing heat and rising floodwaters. Days after Phoenix set a record for the longest streak of 110-degree days, torrential rain flooded communities in Kentucky.

Meteorologists warned of a “life-threatening situation” in the communities of Mayfield and Wingo, Kentucky. Forecasters expected up to 10 inches of rain to fall on parts of Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., declared a state of emergency Wednesday.

“Please pray for Mayfield and areas of Western Kentucky impacted by significant flooding,” Gov. Beshear said in a statement. “We’re working to assess the damage and respond. Just like every challenge we’ve faced, we will be there for all those affected. We will get through this together.”

In Las Vegas, at least one Delta passenger was taken to the hospital for heat-related illness after the plane sat on the tarmac for hours on Monday, July 17. Multiple passengers were treated on site.

“What an INSANE experience. First we were delayed because you did not have a flight attendant. Then we finally board and sit for almost 3 hours on a hot plane in 111 degree weather. Now we are heading back to the gate cause people are passing out,” Krista Garvin, a field producer for Fox News who was on the flight, tweeted. “Paramedics are on now. I’ve seen a total of three people wheeled out so far. Oxygen tanks are being pulled out. They said to press your call button if you need medical assistance. Babies are screaming crying. They’re handing out sandwiches to the diabetics.”

@Delta what an INSANE experience. First we were delayed because you did not have a flight attendant. Then we finally board and sit for almost 3 hours on a hot plane in 111 degree weather. Now we are heading back to the gate cause people are passing out. We are now being told you
— Krista Garvin (@Kristaanngarvin) July 18, 2023

Forecasters said little relief appears in sight from the heat and storms. Miami has endured a heat index of 100 degrees or more for weeks, with temperatures expected to rise this weekend.

Tags: Andy Beshear, Delta Air Lines, flooding, Heat wave, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Miami, North Carolina, Pfizer, Phoenix, Severe Weather, Tornadoes

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY – SEVERELY DAMAGING A PFIZER PLANT.
THE TORNADO RIPPED OFF PARTS OF THE ROOF —
EXPOSING THE BUILDING TO THE ELEMENTS.
THERE WERE REPORTS OF 50 THOUSAND PALLETS OF MEDICINE BEING STREWN ACROSS THE FACILITY.
THE PLANT PRODUCES ANESTHESIA AND OTHER DRUGS, AS WELL AS ROUGHLY 25% OF ALL STERILE INJECTABLE MEDICATIONS USED AT U.S. HOSPITALS, ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY.
ONE MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BELIEVES THE DAMAGE COULD LEAD TO LONG-TERM SHORTAGES WHILE PFIZER WORKS TO EITHER MOVE PRODUCTION TO OTHER SITES — OR REBUILDS.
THE COMPANY CONFIRMED THAT ALL EMPLOYEES WERE SAFELY EVACUATED AND THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF SERIOUS INJURIES.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-3 TORNADO WITH WIND SPEEDS UP TO 150 MILES PER HOUR.

A DELTA PLANE FULL OF PASSENGERS SAT ON THE TARMAC FOR HOURS IN LAS VEGAS ON MONDAY WITH A DELAYED TAKE-OFF.
TEMPERATURES OUTSIDE WERE AS HIGH AS 111 DEGREES —
AND THE EXTREME HEAT WAS FELT BY PASSENGERS —
WITH AT LEAST ONE PERSON TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS.
SOME DELTA CUSTOMERS ON BOARD SAY AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE NEEDED OXYGEN.
THE DELTA FLIGHT WAS EVENTUALLY CANCELED AND CUSTOMERS WERE COMPENSATED ACCORDING TO THE AIRLINE.
EXTREME HEAT HAS BLANKETED LARGE PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH AND WEST FOR WEEKS.

Weather troubles: Tornado hits Pfizer plant; heat makes Delta passengers sick

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