Video: 911 Dispatchers Recount Tornado as Anniversary Nears

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)  — When disaster hits, 911 dispatchers are ready to help.

It’s a job that can be extra tough on days like April 28th 2014, when tornadoes popped up across Mississippi.

Shanna Haynes and Stephanie Brewer are part of a community found in every place in the state. The common thread, they have to be prepared for any situation when they pick up the phone.

On April 28th, they were busy giving out the same advice to hundreds of callers, as severe weather and tornadoes swept through the area.

“Be calm, be there for them, ” says dispatcher Shanna Haynes.

” Go to your safe place, and breath, it will be okay, ” says dispatcher Stephanie Brewer.

Some of the people they helped that night, they will never forget.

“One particular family, where the tree split the house in two, while they were in there. And we had to get someone to go and get them out, make sure they were safe, and take them to a safe place because the storm was still going on,  ” says Brewer.

” People calling in because they’re trapped in their storm shelters, you know somethings fallen on on them, ” says Haynes.

One thing people sometime overlook is while the 911 dispatcher is working to help you, there can be things they are worrying about too.

“I have small kids, so I was trying to make sure they were okay, and my mom was at my house in Columbus. My lights were out, a tree was on my house, so it was a lot of worry, ” says Brewer.

But they got through the night, helping people the only way they know how, one call at a time.

Both Haynes and Brewer say you can help them, help you in any emergency, by knowing your location when you call.