Photo by JOSHUA JONES
What’s left of the men’s common room at Union University.

Nearly fifty people are dead in four southern states after tornados ripped through the region last night.

At Union University in Jackson, Tenn., a small Baptist College, the storms flattened most of the campus. There were no casualties reported.

Trapped students talked to rescuers by cell phone. The last one was pulled out at 12:30 a.m.

Photo by JOSHUA JONES
Dormitory at Union University.

When the storm hit, Joshua Jones, a freshman, was in a classroom building about fifty yards from the dormitories. His dorm room had one if its wall removed. He said it was miracle no one died in the storm.

Because phone lines were down, Jones contacted loved ones through text messaging and Facebook.

Jones told Observer reporters what the scene was like on campus.

Audio by AU Broadcast Journalism 1 class, edited by Nigel Franklin, Emily Jarvis, Amanda Marr, Rita Gallina