Father and baby girl named among dead in Mississippi tornado
A family in Mississippi was “physically and emotionally shattered” after a deadly tornado tore through the state, flattening not just blocks but killing a father and his baby daughter as others landed in hospital with severe injuries.
Ethan Herndon and his one-year-old daughter Riley died in the Monroe County tornado, said Cathy Davis, the head of Oak Hill Academy in West Point in a statement on Facebook.
Monroe County coroner Alan Gurley also confirmed the death of the father and the daughter at their home on Herndon Lane in Wren, reported the Daily Beast.
Sharing the further hardships faced by the family, the academy head said: “His wife, Elizabeth, is seriously injured and is in hospital in Tupelo. His other two children, Brantley and Aubrey, are in LeBonheur hospital.”
Herndon is the son of Lisa Herndon, a former math teacher at Oak Hill, said the school head, adding the family also lost their house in the incident.
The mother is now with her two children, Ms Davis added.
According to the GoFundMe page set up for the family, Herdon’s wife “Elizabeth suffered multiple injuries including a broken arm and leg as well as a dislocated hip.
“Their eldest child, Brantley, was airlifted to a hospital with several broken bones, a lacerated liver, and a punctured lung,” said the fundraiser page. It added that the middle child, Aubrey, was admitted with “multiple lacerations, a broken elbow and a possible broken ankle”.
“This sweet family is physically and emotionally shattered. They have suffered the most painful and terrifying loss any of us can imagine, and their needs are obvious and great,” said the appeal as they sought a donation of $30,000. So far 1,300 people have donated $123,706.
