DeSoto County homeowner recounts tornado ripping through his barn

DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. — The National Weather Service was surveying the damage in DeSoto County after a report of a tornado Tuesday morning.

Among the damage was a destroyed barn at a home on Polk Lane, south of Goodman Road.

“It down one of my barns, took out my fence, just surprised that it actually hit us,” said homeowner Robert Stanley. “I don’t think I was ever scared. I was just trying to get to the house before it blew me away.”

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Stanley says he went outside around 6 a.m. to let his horses out of another barn when the tornado sirens went off, and the wind picked up.

“It was pretty loud, the wind was just so strong, pulling me around,” said Stanley. “As soon as they (the horses) went out, the wind picked up really strong. I tried to call them back. They wouldn’t come back, and I shut the door and ran to the house. It blew over. It was very quick, lasted 15-20 seconds.”

That was all it took to destroy Stanley’s barn in his backyard and take out trees in the front. Large branches had been snapped off, and some trees had been ripped up by their roots. His neighbor’s fence was also damaged.

“I went and checked on here because I knew she was right in the path of where the debris field was,” Stanley said. “She said some fencing was down, and a gazebo was knocked down, but she was fine.”

No one in this neighborhood reported being injured.

“Everything’s OK,” Stanley said. “All the dogs, horses, everyone made it through. Horses were a little spooked trying to get them back in the barn after it was over, but other than that everything was good . Everybody’s made it through, that’s the main thing.”

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