CHOCOWINITY — An eerie gloom smothered Chocowinity as a storm system moved into the area. A funnel cloud birthed a series of tornadoes, which started around U.S. Highway 17 across from Chocowinity Middle School, crossed the highway and tore through residential neighborhoods and then through Bragaw Lane and onto U.S. 17 bypass.

An 86-year old resident of Bragaw Lane in Chocowinity, Mrs. Louise Hill, was sitting in her recliner, unaware of the impending danger that was quickly approaching, according to her daughter, Wendy Rowe.

“Then the roof started falling in and the tree limb fell down about a foot in front of her feet,” said Rowe. “Two strangers that were going over the overhead pass saw it when it came through. They didn’t know her from Adam and they pulled in here and stopped and rescued her. The power was out, she was scared to death and one of the strangers noticed the coat hanging down. They carried her to the fire department until I could get to her. They were two guys — one was from Cypress Landing that lives out on a boat — anyway, they were her angels.”

However, it seemed that Hill was being watched over by another angel prior to her rescue, according to her family. When entering Hill’s home, once you go through the kitchen, you come to the living room. As soon as you step into the living room, up in the right corner of the room was a limb that had shot through the ceiling of the house just above Hill’s left shoulder. On the end of that limb hung a United States Army coat on a hanger. It was hanging just as perfect as if someone had just hung it on the hanger. That coat belonged to Hill’s late husband, Ray Hill, who had retired from the U.S. Army, according to Rowe. One of Hill’s rescuers recounted the story to Rowe.

“He said, ‘It was the strangest thing when you go in her house. Was your dad in the military?’” Rowe recalled. “I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘You’re not going to believe it when you go in, but there is a small hole coming through her ceiling with a tree limb and with an army jacket on a hanger, hanging on the limb.’ It was like it was perfectly placed.”

Rowe believes that the coat hanging on the limb symbolized her late father watching over her mother.

“It was my daddy’s army jacket that was hanging up in the attic,” Rowe said. “It’s just weird how that coat came through that hole and it’s still hanging perfectly.”

Between her guardian angel and her rescuers, Hill made it out safe and sound, according to Rowe.

“She’s ok,” Rowe said. “She didn’t sustain any injuries. She was just scared to death.”

Several homes along N.C. Highway 33, U.S. 17 and Bragaw Lane in Chocowinity sustained severe damage. The trailer park on Barnes Dr., off of Bragaw Lane sustained severe damage as well as residential neighborhoods throughout the town. On Saturday, people could be seen everywhere lending a helping hand to victims of the storm, passing out water bottles and offering emotional support to victims.

According to John Pack, the coordinator for Beaufort County Emergency Management, the Town of Chocowinity and the Whichard’s Beach Road area sustained the most damage on the south side of the Pamlico River. Emergency management officials are still in the process of assessing the full scope of the damage from the tornadoes.

“We’re still waiting on information to come in as to how many people had insurance,” Pack said. “Once we see that picture come, we’ll be able to tell how many structures will be able to be repaired or not. That’s the whole key to a tornado and the recovery of a tornado.”

Pack said that about 90 homes and businesses between Chocowinity and Whichard’s Beach were destroyed or damaged by the tornadoes. He also said that two people from the Chocowinity area were transported to Vidant Beaufort Hospital and then to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. However, no life-threatening injuries were reported.