Tornado victim shares her survivor story: ‘I thought I would die’
Urja Sinha
(NewsNation) — A deadly tornado in Mississipi last week killed at least 13 in the town of Rolling Fork. Now, incredible survival stories are emerging as the town, along with the rest of the state, works to rebuild.
Malinda Washington, a Rolling Fork mother and small business owner, was pulled from the rubble of her collapsed home. She joined “NewsNation Prime” to tell her story.
“I thought I would die. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. It was as if my ribs were puncturing my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. And I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t say nothing. I thought that I would die there,” Washington said
Recalling the moments just before her home was destroyed, Washington told NewsNation,”I remember sitting in my bed and it was this powerful wind, it picked me up and slammed me to the wall and I was stuck between my bed and the wall. And the debris was squeezing me. It was a lot of it, was a lot of debris around me. The light fixture from outside had fallen on top of me.”
The deadly tornado tore through the Deep South at the end of March, devastating communities in Mississippi and Alabama.
The storm killed at least 26 people, injured dozens and damaged over 2,000 homes and other buildings.
President Joe Biden visited Rolling Fork, one of the towns worst hit by the twister.
“We’re not just here for today,” Biden said on the ground at Rolling Fork. “We’re going to get it done for you. We’re going to make sure you can stay right here.”
Like many others, Washington is now working to get back on her feet, seeking support through her GoFundMe fundraiser.
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Authorities work the scene at the Apollo Theatre after a severe spring storm caused damage and injuries during a concert, late Friday, March 31, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Workers cut fallen trees along a road leading to Wynne, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
Wynne High school is damaged from Friday’s severe weather in Wynne, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
A fallen tree damages a house after a storm in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)
Heidi Jenkins, owner of Boulevard Salon, speaks with a reporter in front of her destroyed business in Wynne, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
Homes are damaged in a neighborhood from a storm in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Sha’Cori Washington)
Businesses and vehicles are damaged from a storm in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Sha’Cori Washington)
A worker inspects the collapsed marquee at the scene where the roof of the Apollo Theatre collapsed during a tornado, Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle said 260 people were in the venue. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Crew members work to clean up debris at the scene where the roof of the Apollo Theatre collapsed during a tornado Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle said 260 people were in the venue. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Jaycee Ahlefeld surveys the damage left after a late-night tornado devastated the area in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Ahlefeld’s son attended a day care that had been on what is now an empty lot. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Damage from a late-night tornado is seen in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Misty Grimes, searches through debris scattered throughout her yard left from a late-night tornado in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Grimes and her husband, Matt, were home as the storm hit, and found shelter inside their home. Neither were injured. Multiple deaths were reported in the area following the storm. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Debris covers the ground around damaged homes in Wynne, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
J.W. Spencer speaks with a reporter outside his home about his experience during the tornado in Wynne, Ark., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest that shredded homes and shopping centers. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
Volunteers comb through an area that was heavily damage by a tornado in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023, as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes have killed several people in the South and Midwest. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Volunteers comb through an area that was heavily damage by a tornado in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023, as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes have killed several people in the South and Midwest. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Volunteers comb through an area that was heavily damage by a tornado in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023, as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes have killed several people in the South and Midwest. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
A school bus is surrounded by debris in an area that was heavily damage by a tornado in Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023. Storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes have killed several people in the South and Midwest. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
This photo provided by the Adamsville, Tenn., Police Department shows debris in the Adamsville, Tenn., area on Friday, March 31, 2023, after a deadly tornado passed through. (Adamsville Police Department via AP)
Savannah Bernard and Shakiya Wilson, 16, walk through the rubble next to the destroyed gym at Crestview Elementary School in Covington, Tenn., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. A severe storm or possible tornado hit the area on Friday night. (Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
Jeremiah Burrell, 14, walks past the destroyed gym at Crestview Elementary School in Covington, Tenn., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. A severe storm or possible tornado hit the area on Friday night. (Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
Anne Adams, the principal of Crestview Elementary, Pearlie Mason, a secretary at the school, and Carolyn Hayes, a teacher at the school, look at the damage to the school and surrounding area in Covington, Tenn., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Hayes normally works after school with students and would have still been inside in an area of the building that was heavily damaged had the school not closed early, she said. (Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal via AP)
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Watch Malinda Washington’s interview in the video player at the top of the page.
