A mum and her eight-year-old son have been killed in their sleep after a tornado caused a large pine tree to fall on their home.
Chiquita Broadnax, 39, from Alabama, US, and Cedarrius Tell were sleeping together in the same bed when an EF-2 tornado caused a pine tree to land on their mobile home on Tuesday evening.
Cedarrius' father, Cedric Lamar Tell, who was sleeping in a separate room, was found trapped among the debris.
He was rushed to hospital with critical injuries and underwent surgery but is expected to survive the harrowing ordeal.
The tornado tore apart the neighbourhood on November 29 and left 23 locals injured as the storm ripped across four southern states.
Family member Norman Bennett told WAAY 31 : "The tree fell right slap in the middle of the bed while they were asleep. It fell on the wife and the kid."
She said neighbours had emerged from their homes after hearing dad Cedric screaming in agony.
"He was hollering. 'Find my baby. Find my baby,'' Norman added.
The family's mobile home was next to Flatwood Community Center, which was also crushed by the devastating tornado.
Chenita Staley, the centre's director, paid tribute to Cedarrius, who was described as "sweet" and "loved dinosaurs".
She said: "He's been coming at least three, four years, every summer. Just as sweet as he could be.
"He was quiet but he got along with everyone. He loved his dinosaurs."
The child's mum, Chiquita, helped the local community and was described as a "nice person" who would always bring ice cream for the children.
Ms Staley added: "She was always bringing stuff for the kids, ice cream and popsicles.
"She said it's hot over here, so she always would bring stuff for the kids. Just a nice person, nice personality."
The tornado's wind speeds reached 115 miles per hour, according to The National Weather Service.
Dozens of local residents were injured but there have been no reports of further causalities.
Christina Thornton, Director of Montgomery City-County Emergency Management Agency, told Fox Weather: "It's absolutely looking like a small community has been wiped off the map.
"It's really devastating to think about when you look across the field, and you know that there were homes there the day before on your way to work, and when you're leaving work, they're not going to be there."
