TYLERTOWN, Miss. (AP) — Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado ripped apart their home Saturday in Tylertown, Miss.
Romero said he prayed out loud and hugged Hart as the car rolled onto its side, windows shattering, before it landed on its wheels again. After the twister passed, they could hear people nearby screaming for help.
“It was a bad dream come true,” Romero said.
Next door, Hart’s grandparents crawled out from the rubble of their destroyed house after they sought shelter in a bathroom as falling trees collapsed the roof.
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“Everything was coming down on us,” said Donna Blansett, Hart’s grandmother. “All I could do was pray to God to save us.”
They escaped with just a few scratches and aches. Family members, friends and volunteers spent Sunday removing debris and salvaging anything they could find, including some damp clothes, a photo album and a few toiletries.
“I’m so happy you’re alive,” Hart said through tears, as she embraced her grandmother on Sunday.
They were among those across multiple U.S. states hit by unusually vicious and damaging weather that spawned the violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead nationwide, including six in Mississippi.
Forecasters Warned of Dangerous Conditions That Turned Deadly
The dynamic storm that began Friday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters. Still, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media network that his administration is ready to assist affected communities.
“Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!” he posted Sunday. Earlier this year, the president floated “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency and letting “states take care of the tornadoes and hurricanes.”
At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornados swept
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