PERQUIMANS COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — A small community in northeastern North Carolina is salvaging what they can after a confirmed EF-1 tornado with winds of 110 mph ripped through their homes early Monday morning.

There’s still a long way to go for residents of the Longview Estates mobile home community in terms of rebuilding, but thankfully, this community is willing to lend a helping hand every step of the way.

“I’ve never experienced something like this,” said Longview Estates resident Tiffany Welch. “I might’ve experienced thunderstorms, rain, a hurricane but never a tornado, never. Most scariest loud experience ever in my life. I really thought that my life was going to end last night.”

The small community is still shaken after being in the tornado’s direct path.

“The wind was really loud, like they say, a train or a helicopter, how you hear the wind, equivalent to that,” said resident Tahirah Knight.

That wind ripped off roofs to homes, toppled down trees and left behind widespread damage. Some lost everything in a matter of seconds.

Nearby residents like Deshawn Morris have stepped up.

“We have been able to get so many people to be able to donate so we can get food and resources out here to the families,” Morris said. “It has been a blessing.”

Morris has been collecting donations all day and bringing them to pass out to all in need. Once he posted about his efforts online, others joined him.

“This is a small community, just like Elizabeth City where I’m from, and we want to just show everybody that there is still compassionate people in the world,” Morris said.

Knight said it was good to see all the help coming in.

“Food has been here, even neighbors just bringing drinks coolers out they house to try and support, people helping clean up everything,” Knight said.

First responders and the American Red Cross are also still there to help. Though the damage is done, people here are thankful no one died.

“That’s definitely a blessing,” Knight said. “We got lucky because if you look at what has occurred you wouldn’t think that people walked away from this, and they did.”

To learn more about ways you can help this community rebuild, click here.