Survivors of Mississippi tornadoes crawled under furniture and held onto their kids

BOGUE CHITTO, Miss. (AP) — Anunciata Schwebel could only watch in horror on FaceTime while her friend and tenant slunk into a bathtub to take cover from one of several tornadoes that slammed into Mississippi just after sunset Wednesday.

Her friend screamed that the windows were breaking. Schwebel could see on her screen the devastation to the cluster of cottages she owned in the town of Purvis — walls and roofs ripped away, her tenants huddled in their bathrooms.

“We could see a line of people sitting in their tubs,” Schwebel said Thursday. “We thought people were dead.”

Yet, for a second time in less than a month, a big burst of tornadoes caused no deaths. Authorities estimated that 500 homes were damaged across five counties Wednesday and said at least 17 people were injured. The powerful storms spawned at least three tornadoes across the bottom half of Mississippi that could be seen on weather radar, meteorologists said, possibly more.

Survivors told stories of crawling under furniture while winds tore off the roof and of hiding in a closet, holding on to a child. At Coaltown Baptist Church in Purvis, members hunkered down in a hallway, singing and praying until the storm passed.

A dozen people were hurt at a trailer park in the small community of Bogue Chitto, in rural Lincoln County, said Scott Simmons, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

Most of the two dozen homes were flattened into heaps of splintered boards and twisted metal. People picked through the debris Thursday morning under cloudy skies as a chain saw buzzed in the background.

Krystal Miller and six others — including babies as young as 4 weeks old — grabbed a Bible and sheltered in their hallway when the tornado sent their home cartwheeling through the air.

“We just flipped, and it threw us all out,” she said. “It scattered everybody out. ... I can’t find the Bible.”

Her young son was in the hospital for monitoring and another child was injured in the face, she said.

“The trailer is in pieces but we made it out,” Miller said. “I'm feeling grateful.”

Max Mahaffey was with his 59-year-old grandmother and watching TikTok videos on his phone when they realized the tornado was bearing down. They ran to the bathroom, but when the roof was torn off, they crawled to the living room and hid under a couch, he said.

“You heard screaming, glass breaking, horns honking — everything,” said the 15-year-old.

Dmell Burnes didn't realize his home was in the tornado’s path until seconds before it struck. The house shook as he covered his 11-year-old daughter in his arms, but the frame inside the closet where they protected themselves held even as the home’s walls and roof came apart.

“It was one of the most scariest moments of my life. Me and my daughter were praying,” Burnes said while standing on what was left from his trailer. “We’re just grateful to be alive.”

Residents dug out jackets, school backpacks, Bibles and a watch — whatever was salvageable.

A storm chaser walking through the debris early Thursday heard a meow but feared the worst when the cries stopped after a few minutes of searching. But after picking through insulation, Ashton Lemley found a tiny kitten, hiding between two wooden posts.

“I’ve been in these situations so many times,” he said. “I don’t try to get overly emotional. But it is very heartbreaking to see any type of animal or human go through something like that.”

National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Lamb said at least three tornadoes caused significant damage. Investigators plan to survey other areas to determine if more touched down.

“Pray for Mississippi,” Gov. Tate Reeves posted online, saying the state Emergency Management Agency was coordinating response efforts.

Debris from the storms closed Interstate 55 and many other roads in Lincoln County. The governor said a volunteer rescue group was providing a 50-person shelter and supplies to the county, which reported at least 200 damaged homes.

Lamar County to the southeast reported about 275 homes damaged, according to the Emergency Management Agency.

Alisha Marbury was teary eyed as she surveyed the wreckage in Bogue Chitto. Still, she counted her community blessed since it appeared no one had died. Many of the people she knew at the trailer park had been away at work, she said.

“God spared us,” Marbury added. “Houses and homes and cars and stuff are replaceable, but your life ain’t.”

Rico reported from Atlanta and McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed.

People walk among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Logan Branch eats a hotdog as he sits among the debris of what is left of his home at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A person stands among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

People stand among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Damage to Gene’s Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., is seen Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

People stand among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A doll and other items are seen amid the destruction at Gene’s Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., on Thursday, May 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (Matt WIlliamson/Enterprise-Journal via AP)

A man stands among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

People stand among debris at Gene's Mobile Home Supply, a trailer park in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Thursday, May, 7, 2026, after a tornado cut across the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this frame grab from video taken by WDAM, damaged trees and a house or structure following a storm that tore through part of Lamar County, Mississippi, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (WDAM via AP)

The NBA's Southwest Division could become a showcase next season for rookies who do their best work in the paint.

Memphis took Duke forward Cameron Boozer third overall in the NBA draft Tuesday night and added forward Karim Lopez of Mexico later in the first round.

The Dallas Mavericks used their top draft choice to select Morez Johnson Jr. at ninth overall from the reigning NCAA national champion Michigan — just hours after announcing they had hired new coach Dusty May away from the Wolverines.

The defending Western Conference champions added a big man, too. The San Antonio Spurs took Kentucky forward and center Jayden Quaintance at 20th overall — and then traded for another big man — UConn's Tarris Reed Jr. — at No. 26.

Shortly after the 6-foot-9 Boozer found out he'd be heading to Memphis, he predicted that he and Zach Edey would “become one of the best rebounding duos in the league” and cause mismatch problems for opponents.

The 6-9 Johnson joins dynamic second-year big man Cooper Flagg in the Mavericks' potentially formidable front court. Johnson averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds in helping Michigan win the second NCAA title in program history this past season.

Houston and New Orleans did not have first-round selections this year, and neither succeeded in finding a trade they liked to get back into NBA draft’s opening round.

The Rockets didn't make their first pick until late in the second round Wednesday night, at 53rd overall, and they, too, grabbed a big man. Houston took 6-11 Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso of Nigeria.

The Pelicans, who won just 26 games last season, had only the third to last pick in the second round, or 58th overall. They took SMU wing Jeron Pierre Jr.

What was the team’s need: Pieces for an ongoing rebuild process that Memphis started last summer.

Who did Memphis draft: Cameron Boozer, 6-foot-9 power forward from Duke with the No. 3 pick. Two trades dropped the Grizzlies from No. 16 to No. 17 to 21, picking up five second-round picks in the process. At No. 21 from Detroit in a deal that won’t be official until July 6, Memphis selected Karim Lopez, a 19-year-old forward from Mexico, who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL. BYU guard Richie Saunders was the pick at No. 32 on Wednesday night, though he is recovering from an ACL torn in mid-February.

The picks’ NBA comparison: Boozer compares to Al Horford, Paolo Banchero and Kevin Love. As for Lopez, the comparisons stretch from Kyle Kuzma to Deni Avdija. Saunders is compared to Danny Green and Grayson Allen.

What was the team’s need: The Mavericks might spend a long time looking for their next star point guard after the ill-fated Luka Doncic trade.

Who did Dallas draft: Michigan F/C Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 and G Sergio De Larrea of Spain at No. 25 in a trade with the Knicks. In the second round Wednesday night, the Mavs took Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal of England.

The picks' NBA comparisons: At 6-9 with a defensive pedigree, Johnson fits the profile of a young Bam Adebayo. Johnson is considered limited offensively with the potential to grow. Adebayo wasn’t a double-figure scorer until his third season. De Larrea, who fits the mold of a point guard, turned down U.S. college offers to follow the same path as Doncic in the EuroLeague. But at the moment, the similarities between those two players end there.

What was the team’s need: Losing 4-1 to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals exposed the Spurs’ need for another big man to play alongside and spell Victor Wembanyama. The French All-Star averaged 26.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 2.6 assists while playing a series-high 39.7 minutes.

Who the Spurs drafted: Jayden Quaintance, a 6-9, 253-pound forward from Kentucky and Tarris Reed Jr., a 6-11 center from Connecticut. Quaintance’s career started at Arizona State, but his freshman season ended when he suffered a torn ACL, torn meniscus, and fracture to his right knee on Feb. 23, 2025. He played four games for Kentucky before knee pain and swelling forced him to end his season. Reed, picked 26th overall and acquired from Denver in a draft night trade, spent his first two seasons at Michigan before closing his career at UConn. Reed averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during his four-year career. Both Quaintance and Reed are rim protectors and defensive-minded players who rely on their strength. In the second round Wednesday night, San Antonio selected Tennessee guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie 42nd overall, and Duke forward Malik Brown 44th overall.

The pick’s NBA comparison: Quaintance has been compared defensively to Portland’s Robert Williams III and Houston’s Clint Capela and offensively to Detroit’s Jalen Duren for his play around the rim. Reed has been compared to Joakim Noah and Andrew Bogut for his back-to-the-basket approach to offense.

What was the team need: Houston ranked near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point shooting last season, so that was an apparent need. But the Rockets also needed help in the front court, given the recent injury struggles of Capela and Steven Adams. Depth at point guard also would come in handy for a team that seemed to struggle to produce when starter Fred VanVleet wasn’t on the court.

Who Houston drafted: The Rockets weren’t scheduled to pick until 39th and 53rd overall in the second round on Wednesday night, having traded away their 2026 first-rounder back in 2019 and part of a trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston that year. But the Rockets traded away their 39th overall pick to the New York Knicks before finally taking Onyenso.

What was the team need: The Pelicans needed more outside shooting, particularly if they intend to continue to build around power forward Zion Williamson. Trey Murphy III is New Orleans’ lone reliable outside shooting threat, and he’s been mentioned in trade talks so often that it’s not entirely clear how long his tenure with the Pelicans will endure.

Who New Orleans drafted: The Pelicans entered the draft without a first-round choice, having traded it away last year to Atlanta so New Orleans could acquire a second 2025 first-rounder that was used to take Derik Queen. Pelicans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars expressed interest in making a trade to get back into the first round this year, but apparently couldn’t find a deal he liked. New Orleans didn't make a pick until late in the second round Wednesday night, at 58th overall, when they added Pierre to their back court.

AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker, Schuyler Dixon, along with AP freelancers Clay Bailey and Raul Dominguez, contributed to this story.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Morez Johnson Jr., right, greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Tobi Lawal, right, greets NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum after being selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA basketball draft Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Cameron Boozer gestures as he walks off the stage after being chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)