Tornado-Hit US Town "Like A War Zone", Say Volunteers

Rolling Fork, United States: Outside,
houses are torn open and trees lie with
their roots in the air. Inside, stretchers
are lined up in front of tables overflowing with food. In Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where a tornado caused chaos and
death, volunteers are pouring in from surrounding towns to help. The American
Red Cross moved into a National Guard
building less than 24 hours after the tornado struck Friday night, killing at least
25 people in the community of 2,000. An
ambulance is parked at the entrance of
a room being used as an infirmary and,
through the back door, boxes full of cereal bars and baby diapers keep arriving. "We're trying to give people a place
to stay overnight with food and medical
support so they can just have a place to
lay their heads, because they've lost everything," said John Brown, a Red Cross
official for Alabama and Mississippi.
The city is "like a war zone," he said. "It
looks like a bomb went off."
Whether or not residents choose to stay
in the town center, they will at least have
access to information and food and regain
some strength, Brown said.
Anna Krisuta, 43, and her 16-year-old son
Alvaro Llecha sit in the shelter, one on a
stretcher, the other on a chair, electric blue
energy drinks in front of them.
Their house is "in pieces," Anna Krisuta
says, putting on a brave smile.
Both pull out their cell phones to show
the extent of the damage, captured on
video. The pair are not sure whether they
will spend the night at the center. Maybe
they'd prefer to sleep in the car, Alvaro
said, giving his mother a hesitant look.
The teenager said he survived only by
hiding in the bathroom, which he considered was the safest room in their house.
"I thought I was going to die," he said,
recounting the strong wind "rushing in
through the bottom of the door."
Lauren Hoda travelled 70 miles (110 kilometres) from Vicksburg to Rolling Fork
to volunteer. She described the mixture
of sadness, grief and anger she feels at
the "injustice" inflicted on the residents.
"When I woke up this morning, I wanted
to cry for the people of this town because
I don't think they had much time before
(the tornado) came. There were people
eating in restaurants, families in bed," said
the 28-year-old, who also experienced
Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She spent her
Saturday night at Rolling Fork bringing
donations from collection points: water,
food, canned goods, diapers, wipes, medicine, deodorant, and toothpaste.
Jon Gebhardt, an assistant professor of military science at the University of Mississippi, travelled
three hours to Rolling Fork, arriving in the middle of the night to
help set up the center.
"I cried quite a bit today," he said.
"But this morning, when I woke
up and saw the generosity and
ability of this community to come
together at such a difficult time, (I
felt) lucky to be in Mississippi."
He said he was confident in the resilience of the Mississippi Delta.
"Will this community rebuild for
the better and become a better version of itself in the next few years?
Yes, I think so."