Five seconds that 'seemed like a lifetime' - Tornado survivor describes the moment he will never forget

Record ID: 1717266

  • Title: Five seconds that 'seemed like a lifetime' - Tornado survivor describes the moment he will never forget
  • Date: 26th March 2023
  • Summary: A FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH IN THE RUBBLE
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2023 23:05
  • Keywords: Mississippi Rolling fork Tornado resident victim
  • Location: ROLLING FORK, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
  • City: ROLLING FORK, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,North America,Wind/Hurricane/Typhoons/Tornadoes,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA002039226032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Standing amid a pile of debris and rubble, Rolling Fork council member Undray (pronounced like ‘Andre’) Williams will never forget the deafening roar of the tornado that ripped through his city and flattened his home.
    "God saved my life. He saved my life, but to hear that roaring--- those five, six seconds seemed like a lifetime, you know?" said Williams.
    The tornado killed at least 25 people in Mississippi and one person in Alabama as it leveled hundreds of buildings and trees, cutting a path of destruction some 170 miles (274 km) long, according to local meteorologists
    In Rolling Fork, a town of around 1,900 in western Mississippi that was hit the hardest, homes were reduced to rubble, tree trunks snapped like twigs and cars were tossed aside like toys. The town's water tower lay twisted on the ground.
    Williams said he hid under his tub but was convinced the powerful storm would sweep him away.
    "I was able to grab a top of that tub and pull it down over my head so that the rain and lightning wouldn't strike me and 5 minutes later, it was over and I realized that I was still here and all I could hear was a bunch of hollering and screaming," he said, describing desperate residents who were buried under rubble.
    At least 12 deaths occurred in Rolling Fork, its mayor, Eldridge Walker, told CNN on Saturday. The city is 75% Black, and about one-fifth of the population lives below the federal poverty line, according to U.S. Census data.
    "There's physical damage, a recovery going to take a while. But emotionally...we can come together right now," said Williams.
    The National Weather Service in Jackson has deployed teams to assess the damage and determine whether additional tornadoes touched down, according to meteorologists
    At least 24 reports of tornadoes, stretching from western Mississippi into Alabama, were issued to the National Weather Service on Friday night and into Saturday morning by storm chasers and observers.
    (Production: Aleksandra Michalska, Pavithra George)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains photographs or artwork. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing this clip.
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