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‘Could have sliced a man in two’: Ripley residents recall TERRIFYING details of horror tornado blasting homes

The town residents documented their terrifying experience when they faced the tornado, one of them said that the disaster might have 'sliced a man in two'

RIPLEY, MISSISSIPPI: The town of Ripley, located 45 miles northwest of Tupelo, sustained damage as a tornado swept through northeastern Mississippi on Thursday afternoon, February 16. Although it is believed that no one died in the storm, the winds did cause damage to several buildings.

The town residents documented their terrifying experience when they faced the tornado, one of them said that the natural disaster might have "sliced a man in two." Dev Patel, the owner of a gas station, said, "Well, I mean I have no words because this is the first time I've been to this kind of situation," as he unveiled his horror experience to WTVA.

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'Could have sliced a man in two'

Patel further added, "I was super scared because it opened my door wide open both the doors and blew right through, and all the little things were popping in the air, my glasses and little bottles, and everything was up in the air circle motion."

According to Patel, two customers were inside the gas station store at the time, and he was worried about their safety. "When I came out, I checked the outside. It blew my shed right in the air and dumped it." He further added, "I was thanking God nobody got hurt as the metal plates fell — it could have sliced a man in two."

Anna Jordan, who lives in Ripley, discussed the terrifying details of the tornado and said, "It got really loud. The wind picked up. And then it kept getting louder and louder, next thing you hear is limbs cracking, things like that. It came out of nowhere, truthfully," as reported by WREG. She estimated the duration to be between 30 and 40 seconds, and when she went outside, she saw damage everywhere. Jordan at last mentioned, "The garage is pretty much gone. It pretty much lifted the roof, and the air conditioning unit is upside down,"

Other than that, Daily Mail shared a video of a family taking shelter in their truck. A family in Ripley, Mississippi, captured the dramatic moment a tornado tore through their town. The family decided that their truck would be safer than their bungalow because they lacked an underground shelter.

National Weather Service's alert

Early in the afternoon, the National Weather Service started issuing tornado warnings. The national service account tweeted and wrote, " A cluster of storms is pushing across north Mississippi and southwest TN. A tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warning remain in effect. Stay alert and informed!"

A "likely tornado" was reportedly moving through Benton County, Mississippi, northwest of Ripley, at one point, according to the National Weather Service. Although, the National Weather Service has not yet confirmed it, as reported by DailyMail.