Tot who briefly survived twister mourned
(CBS News) HENRYVILLE, Ind. - Tens of thousands of people in the Ohio Valley are rebuilding and mourning after Friday's destructive tornadoes. The death toll is now at least 39.
Help was arriving in Henryville Monday. Since the tornadoes hit Friday afternoon, this town of 1,900 people has swelled with hundreds of workers and volunteers.
When CBS News arrived Friday, a veteran state trooper said the violence of the twisters had even shocked him. Now, that shock is turning to resolve as residents begin the slow process of recovery.
Twister-ravaged towns picking up the pieces
Crews are repairing power lines and using heavy machinery to clear away debris. But cleaning up will take time.
The National Weather Service now says two tornadoes hit Henryville. One, a powerful EF4, had winds over 165-miles an hour and stayed on the ground for some 50 miles.
That same storm system barreled through the small community of New Pekin, where Kendra Brough remembers searching for her sister, Moriah, and her sister's family after the twister hit.
"I went 30 minutes after it happened," she says. "Me and my dad rushed over there. We saw that there was nothing there. We got out of the car and started walking, (amid) downed power lines and everything, just looking through the trash, yelling for them, yelling their names, to see if anyone would respond. But no one did."
Twenty-year-old Moriah Brough, her boyfriend, 21-year-old Joseph Babcock, and their children, 2-year-old Jaydon and 2-month-old Kendall, were killed when the tornado ripped through the town. Angel Babcock, a little more than a year old, was the only survivor. She was found alone in a field, alive -- but she'd suffered critical brain injuries and died Sunday afternoon.
An emotional Kendra Brough said, "Moriah, my sister, she was a really good mom. She only wanted the best for her children. They didn't have much, but she tried hard to provide. "
Brough and her extended family have received an outpouring of support.
And across the devastated region, strangers are showing their support for other storm victims by donating food, water, and other badly-needed supplies.
"It's hard," said Rick Campbell. "But it brings everybody closer, too. So, we're blessed, and we appreciate all the help right now."
Across southern Indiana, storm survivors were dealing with another challenge Monday - two-to-four inches of snow fell across the area overnight.
To see Elaine Quijano's report, click on the video in the player above.
