ROLLING FORK, Miss. (WMC) – A man said hiding in a bathtub saved his life during deadly tornadoes that killed 25 people in Mississippi Friday night.
“I saw the trees bending, I heard the wind and I saw the power lines sparking,” Frank McKnight told Action News 5. “I got in my bathtub and started praying.”
McKnight, who lives in Rolling Fork, said he thanked God for saving his life.
“I know a lot of people weren’t that lucky,” McKnight said.
Across the Mississippi Delta and across the state, multiple storms touched down Friday night. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service indicate that an EF-4 tornado touched down in Rolling Fork on Friday.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) told Action News 5 on Saturday that the community of Rolling Fork was the hardest hit.
“It’s devastating across the state,” said Mallari White with MEMA. “But Snarky County was terrible.”
MEMA could not immediately provide a death toll in Rolling Fork or Snarky County, but initial reports have seen people from around the country come to help.
“I was planning on going to the LSU game today. “I saw the news on Facebook and everything and I thought, ‘I have to help people,'” said Dante Fontant, who attends Flora Baptist Church.
So Fontant gathered a group from his church in Flora Mississippi and went to help with some water situations.
They have now become the main hotline in Rolling Fork.
“The future continues. People were just so generous. It just keeps coming and coming, we just can’t get it together fast enough. And it goes out so fast. ” Fontant told Action News 5.
Fontant said he will hold a worship service at the site on Sunday at 10 a.m
“They need some people here to cheer them on,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my part.”
Governor Tate Reeves will provide an update Sunday afternoon in Rolling Fork. Action News 5 will provide updates from this news conference as they become available.
The people of Rolling Fork (Mississippi) experienced a tragic disaster that resulted in many deaths and injuries.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 25 people were killed across the state.
“When I saw how the trees were blowing and the sound of the wind was coming and the power line was sparking. I knew it was going to be bad,” said Frank McKnight of Rolling Fork, Mississippi.
McKnight says he immediately got into his bathtub and began to pray.
“When it blew over, the only thing standing was the shower wall that I was in. So I feel like God answered my prayers and protected me,” McKnight said.
McKnight lost everything he owned in the storm, but he told Action News 5 he’s thankful he still has his life. He is also grateful for the outpouring of love that reaches his hometown of less than 2,000 people.
The town of Rolling Fork was one of the hardest hit areas.
“I was actually going to go to the LSU baseball game. “I saw the news on Facebook and everything and I thought, ‘I have to help people,'” said Dante Fontant, who attends Flora Baptist Church.
Fontant gathered a group from his church, Flora Mississippi, and drove about an hour north to help with some water situations.
He says people came from as far away as Minnesota and offered whatever they had to the people in Rolling Fork.
“The future continues. People were just so generous. It just keeps coming and coming, we just can’t get it together fast enough. And it goes off just as quickly,” Fontant said.
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