'The house just exploded': Tornado, storm survivors describe devastation in the South

Three survivors recount the moment storms struck their communities in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas on Thursday.

A powerful storm system that swept through parts of the South, producing tornadoes, hurricane-force winds, hail and flooding rain, has been blamed for the deaths of at least two people.

Hearing the ‘roar’ in Arkansas

In southwestern Arkansas, in the town of Kirby, Nikki Pate described how the storm came bearing down on her home.

"The storm came in fast. It was strong," she said. "The rain and hail beating on the windows, blowing it into the side of my house."

Pate also described what she heard that night.

"The roar – when I heard the roar, I got scared," she said, noting how she tried to set her fear aside. "The roar was so loud, and the house was shaking so bad that I was trying to hide my fear and protect my children."  

Pate and her children stayed in their hallway, huddled underneath a mattress.

"It seemed like forever, but it was just a matter of minutes," she said.

Pate, her family and their home made it through the storm unscathed. Some of her neighbors, however, were not so lucky. One neighbor’s home had large portions torn off, while another neighbor’s home was leveled.

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Despite the structural damage, no major injuries were reported.

When the sky turned green in Louisiana

The same storm system also damaged homes in northwest Louisiana.

In Shreveport, homeowner Keith Bishop said he was on his front porch when the weather began to deteriorate.

"I saw it turn like a greenish color," he said. "It got super windy. I started noticing stuff going up in the air – dfand I looked up, and I could see it."

Bishop said he then went into the house and shouted for his children to seek shelter in the hallway. He and his wife picked up his father-in-law, who was sitting in the living room and uses a walker, and brought him to the kitchen.

Soon after Bishop rallied his family to safety, the tornado struck.

"Within 10 seconds, it's like the house just exploded," he said. "And it was over as quick as it started."

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The storm ripped off the roof over the living room, exposing the home to the elements. According to Bishop, structural damage was all the storm caused, as he and his family were not hurt.

"A little bit of a miracle," he said with a smile.

Heartbreak in Texas

The northeast corner of the Lone Star state also experienced storm damage.

A tornado was spotted in the small community of Pickton, where many homes were damaged by powerful winds.

One woman by the name of Susan drove by to check on her family in Pickton. Their home was untouched, but many others nearby were not.

One home had a tree fall onto it, damaging its roof. Another structure was destroyed, while a nearby tree had a long metal bar wrapped around it, showing the strength of winds during Thursday’s storms.

"I've never seen anything like it in my whole life," Susan said. "It's devastating. It's heartbreaking. These people lost everything. It's just heartbreaking."

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Although the Pickton residents are surrounded by loss, Susan believes that, given the tight-knit nature of the community, there is reason to remain hopeful.

"I think they're going to all pull together on this," she said.