Churches Provide Solace in Tornado-Ravaged Mississippi Delta [Video]

Rolling Fork, Mississippi — 

As a deadly tornado tore through the lower Mississippi Delta, the Rev. Mary Stewart clung to a door in the hallway of her Rolling Fork home, shielding herself from the branches and chunks of debris that came flying through her shattered windows.

Friday’s storm flattened entire town blocks, but the Rolling Fork Methodist Church withstood the high winds. And so, the first Sunday after the twister would commence just like any other Sunday — with congregants reaffirming their faith and finding solace together.

“We are a very religious community,” said Laura Allmon, a fourth-generation congregant. “It just means a lot for us to be able to get together and pray and be thankful for what we have.”

At least 26 people were killed, and dozens of others were injured late Friday in Mississippi as the storm ripped through one of the poorest regions in the country, leaving a swath of …