Columbus man who lost childhood home to deadly tornado gets first look inside rebuilt house as recovery efforts continue years later

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Wind, rain and hail are what Columbus resident Richard Moore says he remembers most about the day the EF-3 tornado tore through his neighborhood.

“The only thing I saw was gray,” he said. “A lot of people said it sounded like a train. It didn’t sound like a train to me, it just sounded like a great rushing wind. Just howling.”

He says the storm blew out the windows on one side of the house and he feared for his life as he huddled in the shaking building on that day of February 23, 2019.

“I can remember saying ‘Lord have mercy’ and just trusting in the Lord on this,” Moore said. “We couldn’t do anything anyway.”

The damage was so severe, the house he lived in for nearly 60 years had to be demolished.

“It hurt, to be honest with you, after having lived there for so long in one spot,” Moore said.

But Friday morning, he walked through the door of a brand new house built where the other had stood.

“After coming in here and seeing where things are now, I can only imagine (the house) once it’s completed,” he said. “It really is going to be amazing.”

It was Moore’s first time back in his old neighborhood since the tornado struck. Almost two years to the day since the destructive weather event, Moore says there are so many others who are still in need.

The Community Recovery of Lowndes County, who helped give Moore back his home, says they have either completed or are still working on projects for more than 50 households.

“Structural issues or leaky roofs or damages to their windows and doors and things of that nature,” said CRLC Board President Nicole Clinkscales, describing some of the problems storm victims still face. “But they’ve had to continue to live in those homes because they haven’t had any place else to go. ”

Moore’s house is one of the 30 completed projects for CRLC and the Mennonite Disaster Service. But to continue helping the hundreds of other people still reeling from the storm, they need financial support.

“We want the community to know that we’re still here two years later,” Clinkscales said. “We’re still making sure that the work continues to rebuild and restore this community. We can’t do that without the donations and support of our community. ”

The construction team says the house should be ready for Moore to move into by the end of March.

Click here for information on how to donate to Community Recovery of Lowndes County.