I was raised in a town of 2,000 people nestled in the Ozark Mountains of Northern Arkansas. It's a picturesque place about two hours north of the state capital, Little Rock.

Arkansas is no stranger to tornado activity. In fact, while a television reporter in Little Rock, I covered my fair share of damage. But never have I seen such damage in the place where I spent half of my life.

After my niece's call, I began trying to reach relatives. I talked to my dad and then my aunt. She'd been out surveying the damage and sent me photos of what's left behind.

It seems the tornado that hit Stone County touched down first on the top of nearby Dodd Mountain, and then tracked north and east, striking the very place where people go for emergency care. In addition to countless homes destroyed, the twister hit with vengeance the Stone County Medical Center, where in 1974, I was born.

You'll see a picture of the hospital in the photo slideshow we’ve posted. Windows were blown out, gas lines were ruptured and vehicles from a car dealership across the street were strewn across the hospital's lawn.

Thankfully, the people inside at the time survived. Emergency crews moved them to a nursing center across town.

A woman my aunt works with, who was trying to go from her mobile home to a safer place, was not so lucky. She is the one death reported in Mountain View.

As you likely know, the damage from this storm system spans the south, and unfortunately the death toll continues to rise.

Tornado sirens in the area did go off. Maybe that’s why the death toll wasn't higher. I hope you'll take a second to look through the pictures, a certain reminder of how devastating severe weather can be.