A tornado in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, damaged a sprawling Pfizer plant on Wednesday, leading to fears that the country could suffer additional shortages of medical supplies.
Prior to the tornado, the plant produced nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medicines currently used in U.S. hospitals, according to Fox News Business.
“Anyone who is aware of this event is basically holding their collective breath at this point, hoping for the best and waiting for news,” said Mike Ganio, a researcher with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, AP News reported.
In a press release, Pfizer noted that it is still assessing the situation and that the facility is closed. Most of the damage was sustained by the plant’s warehouse, “which stores raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished medicines awaiting release by quality assurance.”
“Clearly nature is strong. So too is ingenuity and the human spirit. A great deal of work needs to be done, but I assure everyone, most importantly the people of the Rocky Mount community, that we will put Pfizer’s full power behind this effort,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, per the press release. “We will work in lockstep with our partners and local authorities to restore and rebuild the site and the community.”
Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at the University of Utah Health, told AP News, “If Pfizer falls out, it makes it that much harder for other companies to make up the difference.”
Pfizer bought the factory in 2015 when it acquired the drugmaker Hospira. More than 2,000 people work at the site, which spans 1.4 million square feet.
Wednesday’s tornado touched down in eastern North Carolina. Pfizer said all employees were safely evacuated. No deaths were reported.
North Carolina State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey toured the area on Thursday. The storm caused a 16.5-mile path of destruction, the Rocky Mount Telegram reported.
Maximum wind speeds reached 150 mph, the National Weather Service said, adding that the tornado’s path was approximately 600 yards wide. It was one of the strongest tornadoes to hit North Carolina since 2011.
Sixteen people were reported injured, and about 90 properties sustained damage.