A destructive EF-3 tornado, with winds packing 150mph, struck a major Pfizer plant in rocky mount, North Carolina on Wednesday, July 19th.
Pfizer also confirmed the incident in a Twitter post and said that it is currently assessing the situation to determine the impact on their production.
Reports revealed that the pharmaceutical plant suffered extensive damage, resulting in the destruction of approximately 50,000 medicine pallets.
This has raised concerns about potential long-term medicine shortages, as the plant supplies 25 percent of US hospital sterile injectables.
Despite the severity of the tornado, all Pfizer plant employees were safely evacuated, and thankfully, there were no fatalities or serious injuries among them.
In addition to the damage at the Pfizer plant, the tornado also caused injuries to 16 people and damaged 89 buildings in the surrounding vicinity.
While residents are relieved that there were no fatalities, the region has been further affected by road closures along I-95 due to fallen trees.
Dozens homes and buildings were also damaged or completely destroyed. 16 people were injured by the tornado.
The community and medical professionals are anxiously awaiting stable medicine supplies, understanding the challenges Pfizer faces during the recovery process.
Rebuilding efforts are already underway, but the threat of shortages remains a significant concern.
