Lacie Ebarb stood in the wreckage of what used to be themanufactured home she shared with her husband Justin on BeesonDrive and watched as media and emergency workers walked through theopen air where her living room used to be.

“It’s a Christmas open house,” she joked with her friends,partially because of the traffic and partly because there was nolonger a roof on the building after a tornado ripped throughLincoln County around 9 a.m. Thursday.

Ebarb said while she was heartbroken about the loss of her home,she and her husband were grateful human damage was at aminimum.

“We’re just grateful nobody was hurt at our house,” she said.”And we’re so thankful to everyone in the community that came tohelp us.”

Ebarb said she, her husband, and their baby were not at homewhen the tornado hit.

“The only one here was the dog, and he’s fine,” she said.

Lincoln County Civil Defense Director Clifford Galey said thedamage was not isolated to the Ebarb home, as two other homes weredestroyed, along with a shop building, and two mobile homes wereset off their blocks.

“There were also several other homes with roof damage,” Galeysaid. “There were somewhere between eight and 12 homes withdamage.”

Several volunteer fire departments responded to the disaster, aswell as the sheriff’s office, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, theMississippi Department of Health, and the Mississippi EmergencyManagement Agency. Galey said the Forestry Commission also calledand offered their assistance.

Power lines and trees were down throughout the county, officialssaid, but especially in the Heuck’s Retreat area where the tornadotouched down.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said by midafternoonThursday many of the lines had been repaired.

“The power lines are back up and the road is clear,” he said.”We’re still on the scene, though, and we’ll stay out here as longas we need to help with the cleanup effort.”

He said his deputies, as well as the emergency officials on thescene, were trying to help salvage as much of the homeowners’possessions as possible.

“Everything they own is scattered over 150 yards,” he said.”It’s not going to be easy, but we want to help any way wecan.”

The home of Bill and Bertile Beasley, also on Beeson Drive, wasalso destroyed. Bill was taken to the hospital, where he wastreated and released.

“I was out here just a little after 9 and I was just amazed atthe damage,” said Rushing. “I was really amazed at the gentlemanthat made it through it, because his home’s completely gone. It’s amiracle that he made it.”

Rushing said another thing that amazed him was the demeanor ofthe people displaced by the damage.

“They’ve been for the most part in thankful spirits,” he said.”I really feel for these families that lost their homes right atChristmas time, but their friends and family have been stepping upto help them in their time of need.”

Elsewhere in the county, the home at 1942 Zetus Road was damagedwhen a tree fell on a house and the resident’s car, blocking theresident inside the house for a short period of time. The residentwas not injured.

Both Galey and Rushing praised the efforts of the local agenciesthat responded to the disaster.

“We had a great turnout as far as local agencies; they all did agreat job on the scene,” Rushing said. “And on the state level, wehad calls from the (Mississippi Department of Corrections)Commissioner (Chris Epps) down to the Department of HomelandSecurity wanting to know if they could help.”

Galey said he was also proud of how the community has pulledtogether to help those in need.

“Members of the community are helping put tarps on the damagedroofs, and Red Cross has been here to help out,” he said.

And Ebarb said she and her husband had no worries about a placeto stay.

“We’ve got tons of wonderful family and friends who have offeredrooms already,” she said. “And we’ve got a great church who iswatching out for us, too.”