Residents face aftermath of violent tornado outbreak in central and southern US

Amid the widespread destruction, glimmers of gratitude and resilience shine through as close-knit communities come together to share stories of survival and mourn their losses.

Residents across 12 states are left to confront the massive destruction that has upended their lives in the wake of a series of severe weather, including violent and deadly tornadoes that swept through the South and Midwest.

With dozens of fatalities reported and countless homes and businesses reduced to rubble, communities are coming together to begin the grim and arduous task of recovery. Amidst the heartbreak and loss, stories of resilience and solidarity are emerging, as neighbors and first responders work to pick up the pieces and restore a sense of normalcy in the affected areas.

The deadly outbreak spawned at least 100 confirmed tornadoes, including three EF4s. At least 26 deaths have been reported amid the catastrophic destruction of countless homes and businesses across 12 states. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak since March 31-April 1, 2023, when 27 people were killed.

Two of those EF4s were in Arkansas, something that had not happened on one day in the state since 1997. One of the two EF4s was near Diaz in Jackson County, where massive damage was left behind.

Beyond the tornadoes, high winds with storms caused hundreds of trees to fall, continuing the severe weather outbreak through Sunday in the Great Lakes states.

Amid the devastation, humanity often comes together, showing resilience and cooperation in the face of adversity. Rebecca Solnit, in her book "A Paradise Built in Hell," notes, "The evidence of history and the testimony of the present suggest that the prevalent human nature in disaster is resilient, resourceful, generous, empathetic, and brave."

'It's a miracle we're still alive'

Many residents are shocked by the damage left behind but say they are grateful to simply be alive. In most communities affected by the severe weather disaster, people from all walks of life were out in force within hours of the storm's passing checking on neighbors and helping to pick up the pieces.

Families around the small community of Villa Ridge, Missouri, began salvaging their belongings as chain-saw wielding volunteers showed up to create a path through downed trees and other debris that blocked streets so thoroughly in some places that emergency responders couldn't get through.

Villa Ridge residents Tammy and Greg told local media First Alert 4 that they ran to their basement seconds before a tornado ripped off the entire second story of their house.

“It’s a miracle we’re all alive. We’re glad to have our family,” Tammy said.

Cleanup efforts in Alpine, Alabama, are well underway. Volunteers from Revive Church were left stunned by the destruction in the storm’s wake.

'You’re going to see people at their best in the days ahead'

Volunteers flooded Calera, Alabama, streets immediately after a tornado decimated much of the small town. The number of people helping or donating surged well past expectations, according to volunteer Tracy Padgett.

"This was a need because people probably did not think they were going to get the help they needed. And then they wake up that morning and people are already helping them clean up what is their home," Padgett told ABC3340 News.

Padgett helped serve food to storm survivors and volunteers and said Good Samaritans were out in force first thing Sunday morning. "I got out here about 7:30 and the streets were already filled with people already...It just shows you that people do care. And it shows people are ready to help others in time of needs."

Calera Police Chief Hyche noted on Facebook how much he appreciates all the volunteers showing up to help the community. "We (first responders) get a lot of thanks for what we do at a time like this, but there are so many more giving so much without thanks or recognition."

Joey Peters, a resident of Winterboro - about 40 miles northeast of Calera - described the seconds before a tornado hit his neighborhood. "We had probably 20 seconds to get in our storm shelter," he told ABC3340 News. "People say it sounds like a freight train, it sounds to me like a freight train with a pulse! Our house shook, I really was afraid of what I was gonna find. We decided we better come out and check on our neighbor who lives in a mobile home here, and the mobile home as you can see is destroyed, it's gone."

Peters' neighbor was killed as the twister ripped through Winterboro.

“Disaster,” added 39-year-old James Stewart. “I’ve seen nothing like this since I was a kid,” he told CNN as he cleaned up the cemetery of Winterboro Community Church. “I’ve seen a few tornadoes in my lifetime, a couple of hurricanes. But other than that, this is pretty bad.”

“It’s a wreck, but it’s coming together real quick,” Brandon Chittam added. “It’s a blessing to have people with God in their life that would reunite together — and not even know one another — to help with the effort of cleaning up.”

Charles Kelly, pastor of Alpine’s Winterboro Community Church, delivered sentiments on human resiliency similar to those found in Solnit's book.

“You’re going to see people at their best in the days ahead, because there’s a lot of things that were lost and damage to some stuff that people care a little bit about, but they’re going to see the best in the most important thing, which is people," he said.

'The whole community is just devastated'

Kim Atchison lives in the small town of Plantersville, Alabama, and told 6 News she took her 5-year-old grandson to her grandmother’s storm shelter when her husband and son ran inside saying they could see a tornado coming.

“Get down; get all the way down to the bottom of the cellar,” they told her.

The tornado decimated parts of the town and killed two people, including Atchison's neighbor, 82-year-old Annie Free. The tornado struck Free's home and destroyed everything but the front patio. Another neighbor, Dunk Pickering, was also killed. Another neighbor, John Green, found Pickering’s body in the wreckage of a building near Green’s home.

“Whether he knew you or not, he would help anyone,” Green said. “I’ve known him for 20 years. He’s been like that ever since the day I first met him.”

Green and others spent hours pulling people from debris and carrying them to emergency responders who couldn't get to the area because of widespread wreckage.

The community is struggling with the loss. Chief John Hatfield with the Dallas County Sheriff's Dept. told The Associated Press that everybody in a community as small as Plantersville knows everyone, so the loss of life feels very personal.

"Everybody speaks to each other daily. They go by their house, they talk, they see each other at the store and it was just a very close knit community. You know your neighbor and they watch out for each other and the whole community is just devastated."

'A bad dream come true'

Hailey Hart and her fiancé, Steve Romero, along with their three dogs, sought refuge inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado tore through their home in Tylertown, Mississippi, Saturday.

Romero told The Dallas Morning News he clung to Hart and prayed as the twister tossed the car on its side, shattering its windows and then, incredibly, flipped it back upright so it landed on its wheels again.

“It was a bad dream come true,” Romero said adding they could hear people screaming for help immediately after the tornado.

The couple was ok after their terrifying encounter and spent Sunday going through debris to save anything they could which amounted to some wet clothes and a photo album.

'It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people'

Missouri resident Dakota Henderson is struggling with what happened, telling the AP that he and his neighbors spent Friday night rescuing trapped neighbors and found five bodies scattered in rubble outside what remained of his aunt’s house in Wayne County. Tornados in Missouri killed at least a dozen people, authorities said.

“It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night,” Henderson said Saturday, not far from where he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room in her house left standing. He said the wreckage was so bad emergency responders couldn't get to their location.

"We ended up going through and cutting a bunch of trees out of the road to get the EMS and fire department down here. It was just a rough - a very rough deal last night."

Despite the monumental destruction, Henderson said it could have been a lot worse.

'Just material things'

Clifton Freeman and his family are picking up the pieces after their dream home in Oak Vale, Mississippi, was hit by a tornado Saturday.

“We were standing on the front porch watching everything go around us,” Freeman said, adding that his family crowded into a small crawl space for hours to wait out the storm.

A few miles away from Freeman, Wendy Tagert’s parents have no place to live after their home of nearly 50 years was destroyed.

Another neighbor, Sheba Fairley, said that in spite of the horrific destruction, she's just grateful to be able to hug her family."

“These are just material things, but thank God, you live to see another day.”

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