Survivor recounts Petal tornado

PETAL, Miss. - A tornado hit the Pine Belt Wednesday morning, and damaged an area in Petal on Central Avenue.

Kitrell Industrial & Supply, Chase's Tire and Auto, and a home nearby received minor damage.

No injuries were reported, but it left one person with an experience he will never forget.

Witness, Randy Ingram said, "As it came down, you could see the funnel start coming down and it sucked everything from around the streets: water, limbs, rocks, and started forming a funnel like you see in the movie 'Twister’ at the end. Everything was just straight spiraling up. It kind of pulled myself in a little closer, and it started pulling me back out. I didn't know what else to do. I just held on and it actually sucked in parts of my toolbox and everything else. It just flew right by me, and sent the tires off the tire rack like a pitching machine. I mean they were flying out there. And I heard trees cracking. It blew out the windows. And it basically hopped the street and hit the next-door building. It took the roof off and blew trees that's been there for 80 years."

Ingram said the tornado lasted about two minutes, and is glad no one was injured.