Ethan and Riley Herndon: Girl, 1, and dad killed in horrific Mississippi tornadoes that killed 26
WREN, MISSISSIPPI: A young father-of-three and his one-year-old daughter have reportedly been identified as the two victims killed by the deadly tornadoes that struck Mississippi and claimed the lives of 26. Ethan Herndon, 33, and Riley were killed on Friday, March 24, after a tornado struck their house in Wren overnight, according to friends and family.
Due to the miserable weather, Herndon's wife, Elizabeth, and their two other children, seven-year-old Brantley and four-year-old Aubrey were severely injured. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Herndon family. It stated that they were left "physically and emotionally shattered" by the storms and the deaths. "They have suffered the most painful and terrifying loss any of us can imagine, and their needs are obvious and great," the fundraiser read.
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Tornado leaves Herndon family shattered
The fundraising campaign said that Elizabeth sustained various injuries, including a broken arm and leg as well as a dislocated hip when their home in Mississippi was struck by the tornado. Her oldest child, Brantley, who had to be airlifted to Lebonhuer Hospital, is currently in critical condition with multiple broken bones, a lacerated liver and a punctured lung. Aubrey was also rushed to Lebonheur hospital with horrific injuries, including a fractured elbow and a possible broken foot. The fundraiser was set up on Saturday morning, March 25, and had already surpassed its $30,000 goal, hitting $80,000.
Herndon and Riley’s death comes after Wren was ravaged by a string of 24 tornadoes, which also left 26 dead and many others injured, according to the Daily Mail. Following the calamity, President Joe Biden extended full government assistance to towns damaged by the storms that caused destruction across Mississippi and Alabama early on Saturday morning. More than 30 million people are still under a tornado alert and cautioned to prepare for deadly storms.
'She never got out of bed'
A man in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, a town of fewer than 2,000 people, reportedly stated that his sister was killed in the tornado as she did not even have the chance to get out of bed. "Now, I didn't even go down there when they told me she had got killed," the unidentified man told FOX Weather, adding, "I didn't even want to go. She stayed in a mobile home right on the other side of that park right there. I didn't even go. I didn't want to see it. She never, she never got out of bed."
He said that the storms were so intense that only minutes after running inside to take cover after hearing the storm approaching, he heard his roof break off. As of 8.50am ET, more than 83,000 homes and businesses in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, are left with no power due to the storms with more than 47,000 of those outages occurring in Tennessee alone.