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

Record ID: 1717267

  • Title: Five seconds that 'seemed like a lifetime' - Tornado survivor describes the moment he will never forget
  • Date: 26th March 2023
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROLLING FORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER UNDRAY WILLIAMS SAYING: "God saved my life. He saved my life, but to hear that roaring--- those five, six seconds seemed like a lifetime, you know? And I just knew. I mean, I just can't describe the feeling of being, of being, yes, just swept in (UNCLEAR) from that force of this train. I can't get it out of my head. Every 45-50 minutes, it just come back to me. You know, it comes to me that I'll never forget it for the rest of my life, that sound that I heard. Never forget it." TWO VEHICLES STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER NEXT TO A PILE OF DEBRIS, PAN OF AREA A DESTROYED CAR ON TOP OF A PILE OF DEBRIS DEBRIS AND PLYWOOD FROM A COLLAPSED STRUCTURE DESTROYED VEHICLES, PAN TO VIEW OF FURTHER DESTRUCTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROLLING FORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER UNDRAY WILLIAMS SAYING: "And 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. You know, we're here, help, help you know? And it was sad. It was a sad situation. But I thank God that I'm here to talk to you all like I'm doing now. You can see around, see what type of destruction we have encountered here in the little, small city of Rolling Fork. " VARIOUS OF WATER TOWER, FALLEN TO THE GROUND WIDE OF DEBRIS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROLLING FORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER UNDRAY WILLIAMS SAYING: "This is going to take a while, this recovery here. There's physical damage, a recovery going to take a while. But emotionally (UNCLEAR) we can come together right now. And that's what I see so far. So, you know, that's what I see." A BEDROOM WITH MISSING WALLS WILLIAMS GOING THROUGH HIS POSSESSIONS SIGN THAT READS 'THIS IS OUR HAPPY PLACE" LYING ON THE GROUND
  • 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: LVA003039226032023RP1
  • 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
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