Jackson Jambalaya

A miracle took place while on of the countries largest tornadoes ever rampaged through South Mississippi.  "Pecos Hank" posted on his Youtube channel:

April 12, 2020 a powerful long tracking tornado with EF4 preliminary rating. Despite the impressive radar images, this rain wrapped tornado was extremely difficult to see even at very close proximity. The tornado heavily impacted the town of Soso Mississippi and there are at least 4 fatalities reported so far. A storm complex developing near New Orleans would cross into Southern Mississippi and organize into a powerful long tracking supercell. The town of Bassfield was impacted and the tornado would track near Seminary, Collins, and Laurel before dissipating near Pachuta. (This is preliminary data based on my radar analysis). Unfortunately Soso Mississippi was directly in the path as well.

This storm had an impressive radar echo with well defined hook echo, powerful velocity couplet and lofted debris ball signature but in person, it was practically invisible. The tornado was a vague, gray wall of rain hardly distinguishable from the enveloping clouds. If you were in the path of this tornado, I imagine for many there was no visual clues other than slowly increasing intensity of wind and rain and then the devastating force of the core. I managed to stay within roughly 2 miles of the tornado for an eternal ten minutes or so... So close I could hear the distinct low drown powerful waterfall sound, but it was almost impossible to see. In one of my clips I ramped up the contrast to nuclear levels and if you look closely with perhaps some imagination, you can barely make out the edges of the wedge.

I wish I had taken a moment to film the fireman and the State Trooper (not sheriff) searching for James. To recap, the fireman, without a moment of hesitation, slithered on his belly through a tight crevice into a crumbling house. True heroism and inspiration for humanity would have been captured... Something we see very little of on social networks (not because it doesn't exist in high volumes, but because the algorithms seem to be angled more toward engaging arguments and dividing rather than uplifting and uniting... More on that... This is not the algorithm programmers fault, it's the collective fault of people who click the crap).

As the state trooper was still searching for James instead of detouring traffic, the area had filed up with vehicles and people standing around gawking at the damage, some wondering what they could do to help. I dashed back to my vehicle to secure my open windows and expensive cameras laying on my seats. That's when I saw James. I said are you James. In a daze he answered yes. But I needed more confirmation. I asked is that your house? He said "Yes... Took me damn near 20 minutes to crawl out." That convinced me. You could still hear the fireman, state trooper and two woman yelling his name into rubbish and I got to be the one to inform them James was ok. I ran back yelling I found him, I found him. He's OK! You should have seen the look in their eyes. I asked James if I could take him to the hospital. In a completely aware and calm demeanor he looked me in the eye and said "I'm not going to the hospital." How's that for grit?