BATESVILLE, MS - Residents in Batesville went to sleep Tuesday night, May 5th, 2009 with rain and thunder. Once the sun rose, they could see the damage mother nature left.
"24 hours ago it was perfect, and now it is destroyed," said homeowner Cindy Stephens.
At about 4:00 a.m. the winds ripped decades old trees out of the ground and threw them on top of homes.
"It was a sudden crash. That was it, it was over in a second," said homeowner Dennis Mangrum.
"I heard a noise. I didn't know what the noise was," said homeowner Bessie McCloud.
"We were asleep and I heard a loud crash. Then I heard a second crash. I heard the glass shattering. I got up and ran back through the hall to my girls' rooms. I got them to a safe location," said Stephens.
Stephens just bought the 100 year-old house.
"I finished unpacking over the weekend!"
Now her dream home has turned into a nightmare.
"Devastating. It's a little surreal," Stephens said.
Across town McCloud is trying to clean up the bits of tree and insulation inside her home. She says her house can be fixed, but she's going to miss the tree.
"I'm glad this tree can't talk. Jimmy and I have sat on this patio many many hours and have talked so much about everyhting," McCloud said.
All homeowners say they are planning on repairing their homes, if possible.
Panola County Sheriff's Deputies toured the damage with members of the National Weather Service. Deputies say the area sustained winds in excess of 80 miles per hour. They say the damage was from straight line winds, not a tornado.
