Saturday, April 16, was a "twisted" day — literally — in the State of North Carolina, where a record-tying 25 tornadoes produced winds of up to 165 miles per hour, killing at least 22 and causing millions of dollars in damage statewide. Still, the City of Raleigh is open for business, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB), which released a statement after Saturday's storm encouraging visitors to keep their travel plans.
"We encourage visitors, as well as meeting and convention attendees, to not cancel plans to the area, as our major visitor attractions are open," said GRCVB President and CEO Denny Edwards. "We were very lucky that downtown Raleigh restaurants, hotels and facilities are open and the entire Wake County hospitality community as a whole was spared. Our thoughts go out to those who fared much worse."
The Raleigh Convention Center and Raleigh-Durham International Airport — as well as Wake County hotels, attractions and sports venues — were spared from storm damage, according to GRCVB, which is operating a call center for visitors with questions that is operating Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, call 1-800-849-8499 or visit www.visitraleigh.com.