Brothers lose everything in storm, grateful to be alive

    WALTHALL COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) -- A powerful tornado slamming their home.

Kenneth Ratliff and his nephew were walking from the carport to take shelter. He describes what happened next.

“Then the wind turned and blew the opposite way and blew us back up out of the house, and that's when I end up about 45 to 50 feet away from the house, and he ended up still underneath one of the decks that were under the house.”

He says their survival was a miracle.

“I don't know if I went unconscious or what, but when I looked up, I saw my nephew. He popped up from my porch, and I said thank God he's all right because nothing is left.”

His brother, Greg Ratliff, was experiencing something similar yards away in a different home.

“This area of the house, which was the hallway we basically just laid down right here.”

The two brothers are now left to pick up the pieces

“We can try to make it through here. Just watch for nails.”

Both brothers are carpenters, and now the tools they used are lost in the debris.

“It's devastating. I can't believe it.”

Yet, still thanking God.

“We still have our lives and we can still give him the glory for it.”