GRIFFIN, Ga. — Trees pulled at the root and collapsed power lines were still prevalent in Griffin, Georgia on Saturday. Three days after a tornado touched down in the city, people were still returning to their homes as they attempted to salvage what they could.
For many, like Tiffany Roberts, the memory of the storm was still at the forefront of their mind.
"I mean, you felt the vibration of the coming. It was right up on us. So I seen no water and I just seen gray. And I just went right for the tub and dived in," she said.
Roberts was in a home on Kendall Drive with a family member when the tornado hit. She said initially she heard a noise that sounded like a train. She said she was sure she would live during the four to five minutes she felt the storm raging around her.
"I can never say prepare yourself for death. But you feel like death is right staring you right in the face," Roberts said.
When Roberts and her friends returned to the house, they found it was completely flattened, along with more than five other homes on the street. Crews were cutting trees and removing them from the road as Roberts and others went through the debris.
Many were still waiting for help. Roberts was among a growing list of people hoping to get a hotel voucher.
David Williams spent the days since the storm in his mother's home. He said a tree partially destroyed the roof.
"That part of the house with the laundry room. But that last one in the back there, that's where my mom's room is," Williams said.
Williams said his home was hit by a tree during the storm and he could feel the house fall around him. His mother, who he said is bedridden due to health reasons, was able to narrowly avoid being hurt during the storm. He said she was staying with a relative in another home while he waits for someone to come and assess the damage to the house.
"They just cleaned the streets off. But other than that, we've seen nobody," Williams said.
He added his brother-in-law helped move trees before crews could arrive. That sense of community is something he's holding on to, as he joins his community in trying to recover.