Darian McGee knew a few tornado warnings were in place for his community in rural Mississippi, but nothing could have prepared him for the monster that arrived.
Most tornadoes that touch down in the United States last less than 6 kilometres before breaking apart.
But the twister that smashed into this region on Saturday unleashed hell for more than one hour, carving a trail of destruction for more than 95 kilometres.
At some points, the tornado was more than 2 kilometres wide.
Darian and his wife Cynthia were staying at her mother's house in Rolling Fork when the tornado landed on their doorstep.
Darian said he was moving towards the bathroom when it felt like the world ended.
"The force of everything just took me down," he said.
"I opened my eyes and looked up, and I saw a little sliver of sky and stars."
Darian was trapped under a mountain of broken wood, twisted metal and slabs of concrete, which used to be his mother-in-law's home.
Days later, he is still unable to explain how he found the strength to free himself from the ruins pinning him down.
"I just Incredible Hulked it," he said.
"I don't know where the force came from. The next thing I know, I jumped out and started screaming and hollering for my wife."
He quickly located his wife Cynthia and was able to free her, but his mother-in-law was wedged under what Darian said was a "big old heavy mirror", making her nearly impossible for him to reach.
Luckily, help was at hand.
A group of so-called "storm chasers" — scientists or amateurs who follow extreme weather events to study them — pulled up outside the ruins of the house and quickly took charge.
"They came through, and they told me to back up," Darian said.
The group was able to free Darian's mother-in-law, who was suffering from chest pains and was taken to hospital.
He is not sure whether the family will rebuild after the devastation. That is a conversation they need to still have.
Despite their brush with one of the deadliest storms to ever hit Mississippi, Darian and Cynthia walked away with just a few scratches.
They are among the lucky ones. The tornado killed at least 26 people in this region and injured many more.
One glance saved Marilyn's life
The Central Plains of the United States have long been known as "Tornado Alley". It's where cold air and moist warm air meet, creating large thunderstorms.
But the pathway has shifted east in recent years, putting Mississippi residents in the danger zone.
For Marilyn Tilghman, checking a weather app may have saved her life.
On Saturday, she had been watching television when she said she "just happened" to look at the app on her phone.
A tornado warning had been issued.
She quickly switched to a local station to hear a chilling instruction: "If you're in the Rolling Fork area, you need to seek immediate safety."
Rolling Fork is prone to tornadoes, so most people here know what that means.
For Marilyn, it meant moving to an interior hallway — a room without windows so she would not be exposed to flying glass and debris.
"I just heard this increasingly loud roar," she said.
"It was completely black; the power went out. It was a terrifying few seconds, but it was just unbelievable the damage it did in those few seconds."
A 100-year-oak tree split because of the force of the tornado, half landing in Marilyn's living room, close to where she had been sitting seconds before.
But Marilyn knows she is one of the lucky ones.
"[The] worst part was we've lost a couple of friends," she said.
"They were in the south-west part of town; their street was one of the first streets here. And a large vehicle was picked up and put on top of their house."
'We've never had a direct hit like this'
Rolling Fork is a tiny town. Before the tornado struck, about 1,700 people lived here.
Thirteen Rolling Fork residents have now been confirmed dead in this disaster.
It was the town hit hardest by an exceptionally rare, long-track twister that cut a path through Mississippi and Louisiana.
US President Joe Biden and Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves both declared a state of emergency and promised funding to help get the towns back on their feet.
Marilyn has lived in Rolling Fork for all her 70 years.
Her family's connection to this region stretches back three generations.
Her father had built the house she currently lives in. Her grandfather built the house next door back in 1914.
She said that while she loves the town deeply, she is worried about what happens next.
"We are kind of used to having tornadoes —we have warnings and watches all the time — but we've never had a direct hit like this," she said.
"For our little town. It's going to be hard to recover from this."
