OCEAN ISLE BEACH – Crews with the N.C. Department of Transportation and a North Carolina contract company have completed cleanup from a tornado in Brunswick County last month.
The tornado damaged much of the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood and surrounding area on Feb. 15. Crews spent 14 days, including one weekend, removing debris from the private neighborhood and state-maintained roads nearby.
Crews picked up vegetative debris, including trees and limbs. In all, about 4,945 tons, or 24,728 cubic yards, was collected. To put that in perspective, the debris would have covered a football field and would be about 14 feet tall. About 3,500 tons, or 17,300 cubic yards, came from the Ocean Ridge Plantation neighborhood.
The department was given authority to help the private community after Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order. NCDOT and Brunswick County officials worked together on this effort.