Ajit Karn
Washington: Ricky Cox, a business owner in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, said, “I know of two friends who lost their lives” as he began to comprehend the devastation caused by the tornadoes that ripped across the state.
“It’s much worse than I anticipated. “There are no businesses left on Highway 61,” he told Agencies on Saturday as he gathered emergency supplies to distribute to those in need.
On Highway 61, Cox has owned Southern Ag Distributors, a seed and chemical distributor, for twelve years.
The 61-year-old man stated, “The tornado destroyed the building; I will be unable to use it.”
Cox, who resides one hour away near the state capital of Jackson, drove to Rolling Fork on Friday night to check on his business as a severe storm approached.
It was “difficult to enter the city,” he said. We needed to cut down trees and relocate utility lines.
During a traumatic night, he transported a doctor and nurses to the local hospital to assist victims.
Cox stated that two acquaintances were verified deceased after their homes sustained a “direct hit.”
He predicted there would be “much more” than the current 23 confirmed fatalities.
“Cries For Help”
Aaron Rigsby, a storm chaser and photographer, described arriving at the scene and hearing “constant cries for help from people who were trapped.”
“There was a woman who didn’t make it to her shelter in time, and she was blown over and had a portion of her home collapse on top of her,” he told to News Agency .
“I was able to free her from the debris, but she sustained a leg injury, so I had to call a few ambulances to bring her a stretcher.”
Another elderly woman was trapped between her sofa and the collapsed kitchen refrigerator and roof of her residence.
It was the same scene throughout the entire city.
Patricia Perkins informed AFP via telephone that she was in “what was formerly Rolling Fork.”
“Nearly everything has been destroyed,” she said, explaining how she rushed to the hardware store where she works because it was equipped with a generator and remained open all night.
Tearful Tracy Harden, the proprietor of the demolished Chuck’s Dairy Bar, told to News Agency that sheltering in a cooler room spared her life and the lives of several others.
“There was no intimation. “We had no idea what was going on,” she said. “My daughter and sister sent me a message saying, ‘There’s a tornado, get to safety!'”
“Suddenly, the lights started to dim. “I’m not sure who said “cooler” first, but my husband began pushing us all into the cooler, and this small space saved our lives.”
A constable in neighboring Yazoo County, Jeremy McCoy, told to News Agency that an entire trailer park was “gone.”
Also read: The bag is made from real meteorites and costs 35 Lakh
“It appears like a landtip. It’s garbage,” he exclaimed, describing the heaped semi-trucks and containers.
“I’ve been in several (storms), but I’ve never seen one this severe.
“My goal was to assist in the rescue of those individuals. However, without hefty apparatus, there is nothing that can be done.
“I was shouting, yelling, and physically searching. But it was so difficult to see. Simply anticipating to hear someone, but hearing nothing.”
