On the Saturday night that the storm hit Mississippi, we had dripped our faucets for the temperature drop and stockpiled flashlights, groceries, extra blankets. By 11:30 p.m., my husband was pulling on his rain boots and heading outside to tarp our heating unit: "A branch has already fallen onto a power line in our backyard," he told me. Three hours later, I was shaken awake. "Mom, I think a tree just fell on our house," my 13-year-old son said.