At least 26 people have been killed in Mississippi and Alabama after tornadoes hit the southern states of the United States.
Search and rescue efforts are underway, and Mississippi state government has declared a state of emergency.
In rolling forks, crushed cars, dirty streets of brick and glass – the town is almost completely gone.
One resident told JEE News he was lucky to survive after taking refuge in his bathroom.
Approaching the neighborhood in western Sharkey County, there is little indication of anything unusual.
All around it, the lush green farmland is completely untouched, the trees not even bent out of shape by the wind. Then suddenly you see the houses that were in the path of the storm.
They are completely gone.
Homes where family and friends had gathered less than 24 hours earlier, ready for the weekend, are reduced to rubble.
The wooden frames are broken into pieces. There are inverted washing machines, but it is impossible to identify anything that might have been a kitchen.
Among the wreckage are cars that have been tossed around like toys. There is the occasional child’s toy and other signs of life that lived here hours ago.
At midnight the storm came – the people were sleeping, they had not heard the alarm. For many people the first clue that something terrible was happening was the noise.
Francisco McKnight told JEE News it was a miracle he was alive. The only warning he had was the sound, he said — he hadn’t heard anything like the wind noise Friday night and never wanted to again.
He took a look outside and then ran into his bathroom and got into the tub. He said that he saved him.
The only part of his house that is still standing are parts of two bathroom walls.
He said the storm lasted only five to 10 minutes, and he sat in the tub as the rest of his house was ripped away. Currently, he is living in one of the shelters that have been set up in the area.
He doesn’t know what he will do next, but he says that somehow he will rebuild his life.
Mississippi State Governor Tate Reeves visited Silver City and Winona on Saturday to meet with affected residents who were affected by the storm’s fury.
Sharing an update on Twitter, Mr Reeves described the situation as a “tragedy”, writing: “We have been blessed with brave, capable responders and loving neighbours. Please continue to pray.”
Search and rescue efforts will continue in Mississippi as large hail is forecast to hit parts of Alabama and Georgia early Sunday.
US President Joe Biden also offered his help to the storm-hit area. He called the images from Mississippi “heartbreaking” and said the federal government would “do everything we can to help.”
