MOSS, Miss. — With a tornado bearing down on their rural residence, Andrew Phillips advised his spouse to seize their two youngsters and get into the most secure place that they had: a small room constructed from concrete blocks.
It was a call that probably saved four lives.
Whereas the remaining of their residence was obliterated in a matter of seconds Sunday afternoon, Phillips, spouse Amber and their youngsters, ages 2 and 6 months, survived with no scratch inside their secure room, which doubles as a closet.
The family had been watching an internet Easter service on Sunday morning. Phillips, a volunteer firefighter, then began monitoring the climate on-line and with the assistance of a fireplace radio.
Realizing a tornado was shut by, Phillips advised Amber to get within the secure room with the children and joined them. Then, after ducking outdoors and seeing the funnel cloud, he grabbed extra bed room pillows and jumped again inside, shielding his family together with his physique.
“I used to be in there about 20 seconds when it hit,” he mentioned. “The home is gone, all the pieces however the secure room.”
The family had been residing in the home just a few weeks. The secure room was one of the explanations he purchased it, Phillips mentioned.
Garments have been nonetheless hanging neatly inside the vault-like construction after the tumult. However the man’s meat-processing enterprise subsequent door was smashed, as have been their vehicles. Items of damaged lumber, splintered timber and twisted wiring littered their property.
“I’m simply going to let the insurance coverage deal with it and belief within the good Lord,” Phillips advised the Related Press by cellphone Monday. “We’re going to attempt to come again greater and higher.”
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