‘I’m blessed’: Silver City community leans on faith, one another following deadly storm

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Friday was the last day Patrick Lard was able to speak with one of his closest friends.

“He came over to my house every day. We had just talked earlier that day,” Lard said. “I’m going to miss him.”

The deadly storm that ripped through Silver City Friday night killed at least four people and displaced hundreds.

One day later, residents say they’re still rattled.

“A lot of wind, loud noises, stuff breaking… it was frightening,” Samuel Ford said.

“I was hearing the tornado. I was hearing it. I started getting scared when trees started hitting my window, and I didn’t know which way to go,” Lard said.

Between the destroyed homes, vehicles, and personal belongings, the Silver City community lost just about everything.

But that isn’t their primary focus.

In fact, they say they’re blessed.

“I thank God that I’m living because it could’ve been a lot worse than that,” Lard said.

“My friend over here, he didn’t make it. The Lord spared me another day, so there’s only one way to feel. That’s blessed,” Ford said.

Lard and Ford’s apartment complex housed about 25 people prior to Friday’s storms.

Every single one of them are now displaced and one person didn’t survive.

All the residents WLBT spoke to say they’re leaning on their faith and one another to figure out where to go from here.

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