The EF-4 tornado that tore through the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, shredded structures, leaving a massive trail of destruction. Now, the community has banded together in the wake of the disaster to take steps towards rebuilding businesses and homes to get folks back on their feet.
With debris removal underway and the town inching toward some semblance of recovery, "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts met up with Tracy Harden, the owner of Chuck's Dairy Bar, who has served food and love to the community for 16 years at the diner, which has been a local staple since 1977.
-- Cajun Navy Ground Force
-- Community Foundation of Washington County
When the deadly tornado swept through the town on the night of March 24, it hit Chuck's directly. Harden helped ensure her staff's safety, taking shelter inside the walk-in cooler "squeezed in tight, screaming and praying." Miraculously, everyone was safe, but the restaurant sustained severe damage from the storm's 170-mile-per-hour winds, along with six other local businesses in Sharkey County whose structures were torn apart.
Last month, still reeling from the shock, Harden, standing alongside two of her employees, Barbara Pinkins and Carolyn Washington, told "GMA," "I'm the one who never asks for help, it's the hardest thing -- but we are in a position where we have no choice. But help us, help our people."
The brick steps and a few salvaged red booths are all that remain from Chuck's Dairy Bar, but that hasn't stopped Harden from leading by example, helping others by serving meals from a mobile food truck.
"Virtually every structure here has either been destroyed or severely damaged, but they are full of hope."@robinroberts surveys the destruction in Rolling Fork, Mississippi after last month's devastating tornado outbreak.
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 26, 2023
How to help: https://t.co/fOzIB5zXhL pic.twitter.com/Fl0QrzKsuB
"It's still really hard. We're still grieving our friends, but we're up and we're running," Harden said proudly. "We're feeding 500 people a day, they're getting to come and not just eat, but they're getting loved on and cared for."
One customer, David Schaffer, told "GMA" that while "it may not be in Chuck's building, we got the food from Chuck's, we have the staff from Chuck's, it was like, 'OK, we have some hope here.'"
In the meantime, Harden, who recently received $17,000 from a GoFundMe campaign set up to help Chuck's rebuild, said she's already working to get the diner up and running again.
"We're getting plans together. I met with an architect two days ago. We've come a long way in a short time," she said. "That [GoFundMe money] will go a long way in getting us back to where we were."
-- Cajun Navy Ground Force
-- Community Foundation of Washington County
For the moment, Harden said the community's most pressing matter is "trying to get our people back to town."
"To do that, we need housing, we need building materials, we need furnishing. We need prayers," she said. "The need is strong for everything because so many don't have anything."
In the last month, Harden, Washington and other locals in the hard-hit region have started to see glimmers of hope, thanks to strangers reaching out to survivors offering support.
"I was basically set for life. And now I have to do it all over again, with everything," Washington said, showing Roberts her home that was leveled.
Despite losing everything, she said, "I believe we're going to come back really big and better. We're Rolling Fork strong."
That attitude of resilience and determination has been on display at South Delta High School, where principal Sam Matthews has made it a priority to support his students and the local community.
"All the material stuff can be replaced, I'm just lucky that I'm alive," he said. "We don't complain, we roll our sleeves up, we help our neighbors -- nothing compares to Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and I promise you that."
Harden poignantly described what sets Rolling Fork apart, especially in the wake of tragedy. "It's love," she said. "It's so much love."
"We don't complain. We roll our sleeves up. We help our neighbor. Nothing compares to Rolling Fork, I promise you that." @robinroberts has a special surprise to the residents of Rolling Fork, Mississippi who are recovering after last month's deadly tornadoes. #MississippiStrong pic.twitter.com/x2B6GNCHhS
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 26, 2023
"You can go to so many places and you hear people talk about how close they are and how they come together," she added. "But here -- we don't even have to talk about it. We just do it. It's just done daily for each other ... we're so proud of that."
Roberts came equipped with a surprise for Harden, Mayor Eldridge Walker and the rest of the Rolling Fork community: $10,000 worth of gift cards from Double Quick to go towards gas to get all the supplies they need, to be distributed as they see fit.
Additionally, Roberts announced that Big Lots has committed $20,000 to go towards Rolling Fork's city fund and recovery efforts.
"Good Morning America" will return for the next two phases of recovery, rebuilding and reopening, to support the Mississippi Strong efforts and community members' stories.
