Heartbreak in Monroe County following tornado

MONROE, Miss. (WCBI) – The losses in Monroe County are being measured tonight in sadness and memories.

One person was killed during the storm.

Sunday night, the victim’s neighbors are mourning the loss of Roy Ratcliff, a man they called their friend.

A warning came over the phone, the power went off, and the house came off the blocks.

Wayne Henry has lived on Center Hill Road, in Hamilton, for almost 30 years.

He says he’s seen many storms blow through the area, but nothing compares to this one.

“Every vehicle, the home, boats, everything is totally lost.”

“I realize all of this stuff can be replaced, but you don’t realize that until it happens. You just think it’s another day. I was already making plans to do another job today. Now, boy, have I got a job,” continued Henry.

When Henry and his daughter made it to their friend, it was too late.

They said their neighbor was asleep in his Center Hill Road home, when the tornado swept over, causing a tree to crash through his bedroom and onto his bed.

“Real good fella, going to miss him a lot. We could use a lot more people like that in this world,” said Henry.

And a few roads away on Collins Lane, members of the Gardner family are thankful for a phone call.

“My husband and I were sleeping, and my daughter lives in Steens and she called and woke us up and informed us of the tornado. We barely had enough time to get up and get in a closet, an interior closet,” said Mona Gardner.

Garnder said it’s an experience she’ll never forget.

“We could hear the tornado. We could hear the trees. We felt them hit the house. It was extnerve-rackingracking,” said Gardner. “I didn’t know if we’d come out and there’d be a house left.”

And as for the future, the folks in Hamilton have a plan.

“I know from now on I’ll have a storm cellar. I really will. I’ll have me a storm cellar,” said Gardner.

“Clean up. Recoup. Keep praying,” said Henry.