Rolling Fork tornado survivor describes 'apocalypse' after savage storm decimates Mississippi town

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'It was like an apocalypse in a movie': MS tornado survivor describes moment tornado took him down

FOX Weather's Robert Robert Ray is in Rolling Fork, MS where he spoke with tornado survivor Darren McGee as he described the moments leading up to the EF-4 tornado destroying his home and knocking him to the ground.

ROLLING FORK, Miss. – The stunned residents of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, are slowly starting to pick up the pieces and salvage whatever is left of their community just days after a monster tornado sliced through town, destroying everything in its path.

At least 21 people were killed in Mississippi during the severe weather outbreak on Friday night, with most of the casualties reported in Rolling Fork, which has a population of fewer than 2,000 people.

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Before and after images show catastrophic tornado damage in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

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And as residents begin the recovery process, FOX Weather is speaking with those who survived the violent twister and hearing incredible stories from the night their lives changed forever.

FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray has been on the ground in Rolling Fork since the day after the storm.

He spoke with several residents, including one who described surviving the tornado in a bathtub and a woman who was huddled with friends and said it felt like the tornado was "trying to suck us up."

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On Monday morning, Ray spoke with Rolling Fork resident Darren McGee who said he was at his mother-in-law’s home with her and his wife when the tornado began creeping closer to his location.

He said he was outside the home but was on his way indoors to get something to eat. That’s when his partner called him on the phone.

"So, I put my headphones on so I could eat real quick because I heard a storm was coming," he said.

After eating and still talking on the phone, he said he placed his phone on a charger.

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"I was like, you know, let me go to the bathroom," he said. "As soon as I went to the bathroom, I was going to grab the door, I guess, and the next thing I know, I was down."

He said it felt like it was over in an instant.

"It was just so quick," he said. "Faster than a blink, you know?"

The next thing McGee knew, it was over.

"I turned and looked up, and all I could see was like, rain," he added. "I could see the stars in the sky and stuff like that."

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That’s when he knew he needed to escape the rubble and find his mother-in-law and wife.

"I just braced myself real quick," he said. "And then I jumped on top of (the debris), and I looked around. I was just looking around and screaming for my wife and my mother-in-law."

He said he finally heard his wife’s voice and approached her to remove the dirt and debris. He was then able to get to his mother-in-law, but she was buried under more rubble.

"Then that’s when the storm chaser people came, and they came, and they really did the last of it by helping her out because they said they knew what they were doing," he said. "Because she was buried under a glass mirror or something."

And upon returning to the home on Monday, McGee told Ray that he couldn’t even find where or how he was able to get out.

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The remains of crushed house and cars are seen in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 25, 2023, after a tornado touched down in the area.

(CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP / Getty Images)

"It just looked like the apocalypse, like a movie or something," he said. "It was just pitch black. Everything was dark. And then I could see the stars. The rain stopped."

Besides a swollen face and some leg injuries and soreness, he told Ray that he was doing well, given the circumstances.

His wife, too, was relatively unscathed, but his mother-in-law was complaining about chest pain, and she’s been at a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, ever since.

McGee says the reality of what happened on Friday night has set in.

"I just figure it’s just a part of life," he said. "You know, things like that happen. You know, just some things like that are out of your control. What are you going to do? You know, just be grateful to God."

Now, Mcgee said he’s focused on what’s ahead for him and his family.

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"I was walking the streets all night with a wet coat because I had nowhere to go," he added. "I was over there at Deer park for a while, and I went to the Army, and I walked to the hospital in the middle of the night looking at all the damage in the dark."

When he went back to the home, Mcgee said he was able to find his cell phone, wallet and ID.

"I was telling people, you know, I’ve been through blizzards. I’m good with blizzards," he said. "You know, this is my first tornado. Why did it have to be an EF-4? But I knew it was over. I know when the wind hit me, it had to be over 150 mph."

He said he spoke to storm chasers the following day, who told him the National Weather Service had assigned the tornado a preliminary rating of EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds of at least 166 mph.

"Well, I kind of figured that," he said. "Because it hit so fast. Everybody says it sounds like a freight train, but I, you know, I got hit when I was talking, and my partner told me, ‘Yeah. I heard you. It sounded like a train and then nothing.’"

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Catastrophic tornado damage in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

(Jordan Hall / SevereStudios.com / FOX Weather)

In the days after the powerful tornado, Mcgee said everyone had been helpful.

"Everybody is nice. My community is beautiful," he said. "Everybody. It was just beautiful. It was a beautiful sensation."

And while he’s grateful to be alive, he said he’s not taking that for granted.

"I always know not to take life for granted," he said. "It can be taken. And that’s always been proven, and it just got proven again. So, you know, I’m just grateful and just humble about life, you know? Just grateful."