Colerain woman becomes NC’s 24th storm fatality

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Bertie County officials say a woman who lived with two other tornado victims in a group home in Colerain has died at Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

County manager Zee Lamb said Wednesday that 50-year-old Mary Williams had been hospitalized in critical condition since the storm Saturday.

Williams’ death brings to 12 the number of people who died in Bertie County, accounting for half the state’s death toll of 24.

Bertie was one of 18 counties declared a major disaster area Tuesday by President Barack Obama. State officials estimate that more than 800 homes were either damaged or destroyed.

The National Weather Service has identified 25 tornadoes that touched down across North Carolina on Saturday.

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