MARSHALL COUNTY, Miss. — A wide swath of the Mississippi community of Slayden was devastated by the violent weather Wednesday night into Thursday.

The National Weather Service confirmed Friday that Slayden was hit by a category EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 150 mph. The same tornado then moved north into Grand Junction, Tennessee.

“We didn’t hear anything. No hail. Nothing. All of sudden it got quiet, and it was over,” Rodney Rice said.

He was left in disbelief when the first light revealed the extensive damage.

“My house and everything is safe, but my fences, all my cows and everything is gone as far as I know of,” he said. “It’s a very tight community. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody is at the store now setting up. Trying to see what’s going on.”

Fire departments, deputies, search and rescue crews from across the county and region staged at a gas station on Highway 72 as they offered whatever help they could and worked hours on end.

They cleared roads including Early Grove, where bent mailboxes, downed trees and power lines, and smashed cars were seen.

The sheriff’s office ended up closing several roads and only allowed crews and those who show proof they live there to pass. Slayden Road was on that list.

Before it closed, WREG saw roofs ripped off and a large stretch of trees and utility poles toppled over.

“It was around one in the morning that we got a notification that it was going to get rough. We went and hunkered down in the hallways of our houses,” Nealy DeShazo said. “It got really intense. The house was shaking. We had our girls in the hallway with our helmets on.”

She and her family live on Slayden where their family business, Jones Greenhouses, also resides. The small, family-run operation has been there sine 1965. The last time a tornado hit their business was in 1972 when it flattened 60 trees.

“Once it passed around 1:20, my husband and dad went out and assessed everything. That’s when we knew we lost a lot of greenhouses and houses had damage,” she said.

The morning light revealed just how bad that damage was. Every one of their greenhouses damaged.

It’s unclear what plants can be saved. There’s no telling when they’ll get their power back either, and that only makes it worse.

“This timing is not ideal for us as a business side of things. We usually start sending our plants mid-April through May and June,” DeShazo said.

Throughout Thursday morning, neighbors checked in with the family even if they were dealing with their own damage. That’s how this community works.

“We’re a family. That’s why when you pulled up you saw a bunch of trucks. Those aren’t our employees. Those are neighbors. Those are family and friends. We won’t walk this road alone. We have lots of support,” she said.

She said she’s grateful for that support and grateful her family is okay.

“My girls are safe. My family is safe. No one is injured which is truly a miracle when you look around and you see the trees that fell and the things that happened,” she said. “We’re thankful. The Lord provided and protected us. We know he will see us through.”