Two victims killed by the destructive Mississippi tornadoes Friday night have been identified as a young father of three and his one-year-old daughter.
Friends and family have identified Ethan Herndon, 33, and Riley Herndon, 1, as killed when a tornado hit their home in Wren, Mississippi overnight.
Ethan’s wife, Elizabeth, and their other two children, Brantley, 7, and Aubrey, 4, were seriously injured in the storm but survived.
The series of two dozen tornadoes that struck the area caused catastrophic damage, killing 26 people and injuring countless others.
Early Saturday morning, US President Joe Biden offered full federal assistance to communities devastated by the storms in Mississippi and Alabama.
Year-old Riley Herndon (center) was killed while her older brother Brantley, 7, and older sister Aubrey, 4, were seriously injured when a tornado hit their Mississippi home
Ethan Herndon, 33, was killed while his wife Elizabeth was left with a broken arm, leg and hip
A GoFundMe created for the Herndon family says the family is “physically and emotionally devastated” by the storms and the deaths.
“You have suffered the most painful and horrible loss any of us can imagine and your needs are obvious and great,” the fundraiser’s description read.
According to the site, Elizabeth suffered injuries, including a broken arm and leg and a dislocated hip, when her home in Mississippi was hit by the tornado.
Their oldest child, Brantley, is currently in the hospital with multiple broken bones, a torn liver and a punctured lung. He had to be flown to the Lebonhuer hospital because of his serious injuries.
Aubrey was also taken to Lebonhuer with multiple lacerations, a broken elbow and a possible fractured ankle.
The fundraiser was released early Saturday morning and had already surpassed its $30,000 goal and reached $80,000 within 10 hours of its launch.
Donations and words of encouragement flowed to the page from those who had heard about the family’s devastating story and wanted to help.
A person who gave anonymously contributed $10,000 to the cause.
“I don’t know this family personally, but I pray for all of them. May God comfort her and put His loving arms around her and hold her during this tragic time,” wrote one person who gave $50.
According to Elizabeth’s Facebook page, this is the second time she has lost a child.
In her profile, the mother says “mama of four” and writes “We miss you sweet Wyatt”.
The mother is also pleading for awareness of trisomy 13, a genetic condition that can affect the normal development of the fetus.
The fundraiser was released early Saturday morning and had already surpassed its $30,000 goal and reached $80,000 within 10 hours of its launch
The series of two dozen tornadoes that struck the area caused catastrophic damage, killing 26 people and injuring countless others
The Herndon family is just one of thousands currently affected by the aftermath of the series of more than 24 tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama
FEMA tweeted, “Following last night’s devastating tornadoes, we are coordinating with @MSEMA officials to support impacted communities.”
The Herndon family is just one of thousands currently affected by the aftermath of the series of more than 24 tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama.
A man in Rolling Fork, Mississippi — a town of fewer than 2,000 people — said his sister was killed and wasn’t even given a chance to get out of bed.
“Well, I didn’t even go there when they told me she was killed,” he said.
“I didn’t want to go at all. She lived in a mobile home just across this park. I didn’t even go. I didn’t want to see it. She never, never got out of bed,” the unidentified man told FOX Weather.
He said the storms were so fierce that he heard his own roof come loose just moments after running inside the house for shelter after hearing the storm coming.
“When I went into the closet, the door flew open again and I was pulled out,” the man said.
“I heard the roof come off and then all of a sudden there was a big bang and it was gone.”
The man’s sister was not publicly identified late Saturday night.
A man in Rolling Fork, Mississippi — a town of fewer than 2,000 people — said his sister was killed and wasn’t even given a chance to get out of bed
“Well I didn’t even go there when they told me she was killed,” the man said
She lived in a mobile home just across this park. I didn’t even go. I didn’t want to see it. She never, never got out of bed,’ said the unknown man
A woman whose mother lived in Rolling Fork described the painful moments of arriving at the scene and realizing the extent of the damage.
Lequita Barfield said she heard a tornado swept through her mother’s town and panicked when her mother, Mary Barfield, did not respond.
The daughter said her mother lives in a trailer.
“I just have a feeling that something is wrong,” Lequita said in an interview on Saturday night. “I jumped in the car and came out on the street.”
When she arrived at Rolling Fork, she said she found everything “just gone,” adding that she had to walk the last mile to her mother’s house due to debris.
Lequita’s mother’s house had been turned upside down during the destruction.
A man then led the daughter into an alley where a motionless body lay under a mattress.
“I called for her but she didn’t answer,” Lequita said, telling the media she tried to pull her body out. “She didn’t move her hand. She has done nothing.’
“My mother is gone,” said the grieving daughter. “My mother is gone.”
Lequita Barfield said she heard a tornado went through her mother’s town and panicked when her mother Mary Barfield (pictured) didn’t respond
A vicious storm system that spawned 24 twisters that ravaged Mississippi has torn apart a small rural town in the state, with drone footage revealing the extent of the devastation
Search and rescue teams have now been dispatched to Rolling Fork, along with ambulances
Wonder Bolden was seen rocking her one-year-old granddaughter Journey as she surveyed the remains of her mother’s tornado-damaged trailer in Rolling Fork
One of the largest tornadoes to hit the air cut a path of at least 170 miles through Mississippi.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) sent teams to survey the damage.
The Weather Service said the extremely “rare” weather system, which has claimed at least 26 lives, happened because “all the ingredients were there.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday after surveying the extensive damage from the deadly storm in the hard-hit cities of Silver City and Rolling Fork.
The White House offered “full federal assistance” to communities devastated by the natural disaster. President Biden said he is praying for those affected.
Biden said he prays “for those who have lost loved ones” and “for those whose loved ones are missing.”
In a statement, the president wrote that he has reached out to Gov. Reeves, spoken to Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and liaised with Rep. Bennie Thompson about the situation.
He expressed his condolences and offered “full federal support while communities recover from the effects of this storm.”
President Joe Biden spoke to state and local leaders after a deadly storm that produced 24 twisters tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday after surveying the extensive damage from the deadly storm in the hard-hit cities of Silver City and Rolling Fork
A monster tornado cut a deadly path of at least 170 miles through Mississippi, spawning dozens of other tornadoes that obliterated cities in the state and devastated parts of Alabama
The National Weather Service (NWS) dispatched crews to investigate the tornado, but preliminary information, based on estimates from storm reports and radar data, suggests a tornado was on the ground for more than an hour
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was also among the people Biden contacted after the devastation.
‘[She] has already deployed emergency personnel and resources to support search and rescue and assess the damage,” he said.
“We will do everything we can to help. We will work together to provide you with the support you need in your recovery, for as long as it takes.’
FEMA tweeted, “Following last night’s devastating tornadoes, we are coordinating with @MSEMA officials to support impacted communities.”
“We are working closely with our government partners to assess the affected areas. Our thoughts are with these communities and their loved ones.’