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North Carorolina -- Three people are dead and 10 are injured following a tornado in North Carolina's coastal Brunswick County. The tornado hit just after midnight Tuesday in southeastern Brunswick County near Grissettown in the Ocean Ridge Plantation Community, destroying homes, downing powerlines that left thousands without electricity and snapping trees in half, news outlets reported. Brunswick County Emergency Management said people were trapped in homes. Ingram said searches for missing people were underway and will increase during the day. He's asked people to avoid the area while crews work to clear the streets and search for victims. The Wilmington Fire Department tweeted that it would send teams to help find people missing after the tornado. Some power lines were also downed. Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation said thousands of people lost electricity.