# Tornado hits Hattiesburg, MS



## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

I got a call from my boss at 1715 telling me to turn on the local news as there was a tornado on the ground near my neighborhood, heading for campus. I tried to call my dispatch but there was no answer. I pulled my portable out of the charger and heard something no boss wants to ear - my officers telling each other exactly where the tornado was, and which direction they needed to go to get out of its way. As they called out buildings I threw on some boots, grabbed my gunbelt and ran for the truck.

Look for us on Good Morning America and CNN after the sun rises. Massive damage to several buildings, a few flattened, but no injuries on campus. Several injured in the area but no deaths so far. I'm home for a few hours sleep but will be back at dawn to start pulling 12 hour shifts for a few days. I'll post more info and some pictures when I can. Right now the last few severe thunderstorms are passing through so I've got to try to put my head down for a bit.


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## Goose (Dec 1, 2004)

Ouch, hang in there. Glad no one got injured.

Do you guys have basements in the campus buildings that are designed for this sort of thing?


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

No basements but we use interior corridors.

It really sucks when CNN is live from your place of employment.










Lots of tornados damage.. Sheet metal bent around light poles, trees snapped off....big trees.









Governor is on the way. I'll post later, have some video ill put on you tube.


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## lofu (Feb 25, 2006)

Damn. Stay safe


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Governor Bryant press conference on campus.










Two videos are on YouTube and ill post links later.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

OK, two videos...






Note the sheet metal wrapped around the light pole...






Sorry for the commentary, one of the masons building the new fence found his work pretty much demolished.


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

A few more pics... The last two are a university vehicle that was parked about a hundred yards away from where it is now....


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## USAF286 (May 20, 2011)

Wow. I hope everything is going better now, stay safe. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Tornado causes significant damage in Mississippi, leaving dozens injured*

Published February 11, 2013
FoxNews.com


HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A tornado tore through a Mississippi town on Sunday as part of a severe storm that caused significant damage to buildings, downed trees and left dozens injured.
On Monday, residents shaken by the tornado were waking up to a day of removing trees, patching roofs and giving thanks for their survival. Daylight also offered emergency management officials the chance to get a better handle on the damage that stretched across several counties.
It was raining at first light Monday and people began trying to salvage what they could in one damaged neighborhood. Some people walked around fallen trees, power lines, smashed cars and other debris to carry belongings away.
The twister traveled down one of Hattiesburg's main streets and mangled homes, commercial buildings and structures on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says more than 60 people were injured in the storms.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/02/11/tornado-touches-down-in-mississippi-town-causing-damage-officials-say/?test=latestnews#ixzz2KcJgOMbD


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

LawMan3 said:


> Damn bro. Glad everyone is ok.
> 
> And did i catch a little Boston accent come out during your second video?
> "That's the best pahhht"


After 7 years here I am able to make myself understood to the natives by speaking their patois. However, in times of stress my 'R's flee back home and my native accent springs forth unbidden.

So, yes, that *WOULD* be the best pahhht!


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Well, we resumed classes this morning, except for the buildings that are pretty much demolished. Temporary trailer space going in now for them. Over the days since Sunday we have had hundreds of workers cleaning up... removing debris and trees, mud, crud and you-name-it. Luckily there was a major demolition contractor already working on campus, tearing down some dorms we are replacing. At first light on Monday all those big trackhoes started convoying from one end of campus to the other, and were working away soon thereafter.

Yesterday offices opened... it was a bit freaky to see staff in business dress walking along one sidewalk while across the street we're all wearing reflective gear, spattered with mud up to our knees, with chainsaws and trackhoes and all snarling away. 

Last night the city opened the main road in front of campus, clearing our main entrance. Traffic lights are again working, power is back on. This morning almost every single parking space, sidewalk, and building with less than major damage is usable. 

The areas around us are still hard hit, and just beginning a long process. Homeowners need to deal with the insurance companies, and arrange for contractors, etc. The path to our east tore through a less-affluent part of the city, and lots of those folks are hurting. 

I worked a basketball game last night, Southern Miss vs. Tulane, and while it made a long day longer, I didn't have to get up at 0430 again. Slept until 0700, which let me drive in past part of the path near Oak Grove High School, about two miles from our house. I hadn't yet seen this part of the track in the daytime. 

Having lived through both, I would say this was at least as bad as, if not worse than, Katrina (...bitch.) Shredded houses, little bits of house in dead tree branches, trees snapped off like twigs, utility poles snapped, wires and cables tangled everywhere. 

This only took 30 seconds to do all that, unlike K (....b) which took hours. And, the affected area is much smaller, so help came quicker, from closer by. Our Admin Assistant had her neighborhood hit, and her home damaged though not destroyed, and she reported that it didn't take long for her to hear emergency vehicle sirens arriving. She said she was very grateful to hear them keep coming, too, for a long time.

Anyways, that's the wrap-up to this thread. I appreciate all the help and concern... I heard from a friend during the hours immediately after the tornado hit... he texted me "Hey, you're on all the channels." My reply was "It's not as much fun as it sounds." Well, it wasn't, but we got through it due to the hard work of some dedicated officers, and everyone else from staff to contractors to volunteers. Much work remains, but we are well on our way. Thanks again.


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

I have been waiting for this story so I can share what one of my officers did that night...

http://www.usm.edu/news/article/southern-miss-police-officer-others-come-aid-tornado-victim

It finally came out, so let me just say I am very proud to work with him.


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## Johnny Law (Aug 8, 2008)

Outstanding job Officer Pierce!


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

We don't often have a year like this past one&#8230; but Tuesday was the annual staff awards, and UPD had a couple of their own to hand out this time&#8230;

http://www.usm.edu/news/article/staffcouncil-awards-ceremony-reunites-tornado-victim-officer

"The last time Annelise Moreau saw University of Southern Mississippi police officer Jared Pierce, he was coming to her aid after the Hattiesburg campus was struck by an F-4 tornado Feb. 10.

This past Tuesday, under clearer skies, Moreau returned to Hattiesburg to help the university honor Pierce for his service on that fateful day. During the university's annual Staff Council recognition and awards luncheon, Pierce and fellow officer Jason Powell received the Life Saving Award and Medal of Valor, respectively."


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

I had the pleasure to meet Annelise Tuesday, and she was kind enough to give me permission to forward this. I told Jared that, if a police officer is lucky, once in their career they may get a letter or email like this one.

If you’ve ever wondered what it is like to live through a tornado, here you go. She wound up next to a small brick building, which must have given her just enough shielding to keep her alive. 

When I posted the original story back a few months ago, a few people asked about more details. So, here is her story…as well as the story of Sully the Cat and Ponchy the Hedgehog.

==============================================================================================================


Dear, Officer Pierce.
A week ago, this afternoon, I was travelling back to my school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama when I saw a digital sign on the side of I-59 that warned of a tornado on the ground. My biggest fear is being hit by a tornado. I called my parents to ask them to check the weather radar and give me an opinion on what to do. They told me I was within three tornado warning boxes at once on the map and instructed me to take the next exit. That exit happened to be the Hardy Street exit which took me to USM. I've heard it said before that one usually meets their fate on the path they take to avoid it...that couldn't have been more true for me that day.

In horror, I sped all around an unfamiliar city trying to find a safe place for me and my two ridiculous pets. While transformers exploded all around me in the sky and lights flickered out around me, I sped through intersections and turned corners that I don't even remember. Somewhere in my confusion, I ended up parked next to your Ogletree Alumni House. I had been to USM once before for a summer event (also, USM is the only other college besides Alabama that I applied to) and I remembered that you can drive underneath your stadium on either side. So I tried to figure out how to get to your stadium because that seemed like the safest place at that point, but I was way too late. I had parked directly in the path of the tornado without realizing it.

It bore down on me with tremendous power. We don't know if it was an EF3 or EF4 by the time it reached me, but neither one really makes me feel any better. My parents heard everything through the phone. My memory at this point begins to mesh together and grow cloudy, but I specifically remember thick branches pelting my Toyota Camry. I remember the sound of things hitting my windows. I remember my ears popping and then relieving suddenly. I remember my window breaking and the feel of debris against my cheek. I remember the curved shape of the path of debris in front of me and the way the water on the pavement seemed to swirl around. I very specifically remember watching your Ogle Tree House splitting. Then the damaged portion seemed to raise a little right before all the bricks tumbled down and the lighter debris lifted up and started dissolving into the sky. I remember that all too well.

But most of all, I remember my screams. They haunt me every night, my own screams. Next thing I knew, everything was calm. I looked around and assessed myself to discover that two of my windows were blown in and I was feeling no pain aside from grief and small stings on my cheek. Still in a panic of hyperventilation and shaking appendages, I got out of my car and could do nothing about keeping myself from screaming. I screamed to relieve myself of some extra nerves that were keeping me from staying sane. I screamed multiple times for relief and for help. A little while later (I don't remember how long or in what order exactly all of this part happened because I'm sure I was in a minor amount of shock) an ambulance drove past me and a medic asked if I was ok. I told him I was fine and that he needed to go check the cars in front of me. Soon after that, you came by and helped me more than you even know.

You were literally an answered prayer. I guess I figured that I would stay at my car until my parents eventually found me because I was scared and in shock and had no idea where I was. I had only been in Hattiesburg once before and I knew nothing about the city. I didn't know where to go, and so, I suppose, I wasn't going to go anywhere. When you came and found me, I immediately felt relief. I don't know why I didn't think anyone would eventually find me and help me. You were very patient with me while I talked to my parents, who were on their way. You were also patient while I tried to figure out what I would do about my car and my pets. I have never regretted bringing a cat and a hedgehog with me on a road trip before, but this time, I swear things would have been easier for me without them. I feel I should have left them at home.

But what happened is done and behind. When I packed them up and grabbed what I didn't want possibly stolen, you kindly walked me over to Wilber Hall, where I felt more loved than ever before in my life. You didn't leave me until I was with a group of Resident Advisers who you knew I was safe with. Those RAs took very good care of me and took me to a stairwell where I could cry and really break down without being seen by all those people in the hall. They played with and took care of my pets while I figured out what was going on and dealt with issues that had to be handled.

I was incredibly thankful for your help and for being my first real sign of hope and salvation in my cloud of fear. I had somehow managed to lose your card and I knew I had to get another one from you. I felt that you had to know my story and that it was important that you know exactly how much your patience and kindness meant to me.


One week after the tornado, I am finally emailing you, as you asked me to do. The insurance agency totaled my car and I have since bought a new one. In fact, we bought it yesterday. A nice Honda Cr-V. On my return to Tuscaloosa last Wednesday in my little rental car, I stopped at Wilber Hall with two large boxes of cookies and, again broke down crying as I explained to the girls who helped me how much they meant to me. I was upset that I could not show you my appreciation as well, and so, I thought that this letter would help give you an idea of my appreciation and respect. I still have little episodes of emotion sometimes. For example, I'll be driving and something will come up and hit my windshield and I'll have to pull over for a minute to calm down. Or sometimes, when any loud noise starts up, I'll have to regain control of my own breathing. I have nightmares occasionally and wake up constantly.

I am working hard to catch up on my missed school work. In fact, I took an hour off of my reading to type this for you. This is the single most traumatic thing I've ever been through. Hopefully it will remain that way. I don't wish to experience anything more horrifying. In my embarrassing moments of panic and fear, you brought me somewhere I could feel vulnerable and safe. Vulnerable, because I was crying in front of strangers, yet safe because I was in a building and out of the debris and weather with people who showed kindness to me. Otherwise, I would have sat in my car alone and wet and afraid until God knows when.

I understand that this letter is unnecessarily long and over explains my situation, but I felt it necessary that you know and understand my story to get a feel for just how important you were to it. You brought me where you knew I would be safe. You were my first sign of help and hope. I immediately felt an extent of relief when I knew an officer had found me. And for your help, I am forever grateful. You are sincerely a blessing. You have been prayed for.


With all of my appreciation,
Annelise Moreau


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Arise, ye undead thread... ARISE!

I just spent an hour with a producer from The Weather Channel and shared some patrol car video and police radio audio. They are planning an hour-long documentary to air sometime around April 2015.

We now return this thread to it's dead status... for another 7 months or so...


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/...014/09/25/hattiesburg-tornado-alley/16238391/


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Bump.

The Weather Channel will air our episode of "Tornado Alley" on April 27th at 9ET/8CT.


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## USM C-2 (Oct 27, 2010)

Bump.

http://www.wdam.com/story/28849353/...ebruary-10-tornado-special?clienttype=generic


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