After destructive tornadoes, communities across the South work to rebuild
In the Mississippi Pine Belt, the damage caused by severe weather in one small town was devastating. One man, whose home was largely destroyed by a twister, summed it up like this: "I'm happy to be alive."
By
Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 1, 2022 11:19 AM EDT
|
Updated Apr 1, 2022 11:19 AM EDT
AccuWeather's Jillian Angeline reported live from McLain, where a man whose home received major damage said he was just happy to be alive.
Several communities across the Southeast are picking up the pieces after a severe weather outbreak brought high winds and damaging tornadoes to the region during the final week of March.
AccuWeather National Reporter Jillian Angeline was on the scene in McLain, Mississippi, where 13 homes and two churches were damaged by an EF2 tornado that packed winds of up to 115 miles per hour.
McLain is a small town of fewer than 1,000 in what's known as the Pine Belt, which runs through southeastern Mississippi and is not far from the Gulf Coast, about 120 miles northeast of New Orleans.
One house in particular, the home of Leo Harrison and his family, sustained a significant amount of damage. The home's roof was shredded by the twister, leaving emergency crews to drape a tarp over the damaged property.
"It was bad. I'm happy to be alive. It could've been a lot worse. My granddaughter got one little cut on her finger and that was it, but we all got wet," Harrison said, adding that he did not have homeowners insurance.
The house of Leo Harrison was badly damaged by an EF2 tornado that touched down in McLain, Mississippi.
Of the two churches damaged by the tornado, one was struck by lightning first, leaving parishioners to put out the fire. Despite the violent weather, no one in McLain was severely injured or killed by the storm.
"We do have some damage, and that is certainly not good, but we were really blessed in the aspect that there were no injuries, no fatalities, and we can always build back," said Trent Robertson the director of Greene County Emergency Management.
Elsewhere across the South, at least two people were killed, and two others were injured on the morning of March 31 when a tornado touched down just west of Tallahassee, near the town of Alford in the Florida Panhandle, according to The Associated Press. In Arkansas, at least seven people were injured, two seriously, when an EF3 tornado damaged homes and a school in the town of Springdale.
More volatile weather is expected in the South next week, with the potential for more storms packing damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes.
Reporting from Jillian Angeline and Tony Laubach
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
After destructive tornadoes, communities across the South work to rebuild
In the Mississippi Pine Belt, the damage caused by severe weather in one small town was devastating. One man, whose home was largely destroyed by a twister, summed it up like this: "I'm happy to be alive."
By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 1, 2022 11:19 AM EDT | Updated Apr 1, 2022 11:19 AM EDT
AccuWeather's Jillian Angeline reported live from McLain, where a man whose home received major damage said he was just happy to be alive.
Several communities across the Southeast are picking up the pieces after a severe weather outbreak brought high winds and damaging tornadoes to the region during the final week of March.
AccuWeather National Reporter Jillian Angeline was on the scene in McLain, Mississippi, where 13 homes and two churches were damaged by an EF2 tornado that packed winds of up to 115 miles per hour.
McLain is a small town of fewer than 1,000 in what's known as the Pine Belt, which runs through southeastern Mississippi and is not far from the Gulf Coast, about 120 miles northeast of New Orleans.
One house in particular, the home of Leo Harrison and his family, sustained a significant amount of damage. The home's roof was shredded by the twister, leaving emergency crews to drape a tarp over the damaged property.
"It was bad. I'm happy to be alive. It could've been a lot worse. My granddaughter got one little cut on her finger and that was it, but we all got wet," Harrison said, adding that he did not have homeowners insurance.
The house of Leo Harrison was badly damaged by an EF2 tornado that touched down in McLain, Mississippi.
Of the two churches damaged by the tornado, one was struck by lightning first, leaving parishioners to put out the fire. Despite the violent weather, no one in McLain was severely injured or killed by the storm.
"We do have some damage, and that is certainly not good, but we were really blessed in the aspect that there were no injuries, no fatalities, and we can always build back," said Trent Robertson the director of Greene County Emergency Management.
Elsewhere across the South, at least two people were killed, and two others were injured on the morning of March 31 when a tornado touched down just west of Tallahassee, near the town of Alford in the Florida Panhandle, according to The Associated Press. In Arkansas, at least seven people were injured, two seriously, when an EF3 tornado damaged homes and a school in the town of Springdale.
More volatile weather is expected in the South next week, with the potential for more storms packing damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes.
Reporting from Jillian Angeline and Tony Laubach
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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