County officials say the death toll remains at eight, with a dozen more still hospitalized. Of those, four were in critical condition. Officials say they think everyone has been accounted for, but made one final sweep of a pond near the mobile home park that was partially leveled by the twister just in case.

"We're ready to begin estimating exactly how much damage was done," said Kip Godwin, chair of Columbus County Board of Commissioners.

The tornado displaced about 100 people, all of whom will be able to stay with family and friends in the area, local officials said.

A few people ventured back into the mobile home park this morning. Charles Faulk, who was at home with his wife Sheila when the storm hit, returned to look for a neighbor's dog.

"It's just tragic," he said. "I lost some good friends and family."

After inspecting the destruction, a National Weather Service tornado forensics team concluded today that the lethal tornado roared through the Armour neighborhood with winds of nearly 200 mph. That would make it an F-3 tornado, on a scale from 0 to 5, strong enough to rip roofs and walls from well-constructed houses, overturn trains and lift heavy cars off the ground.

The weather service team said the Armour tornado traveled about 1.8 miles but bounced off the ground at points, which is common. At its widest, it was 300 yards across, they estimate.

Gov. Mike Easley flew over Armour today, then met with local officials and emergency responders at the nearby Riegelwood Community Center. Easley said he did not think the storm would qualify for federal disaster assistance.