Residents from all over North Carolina Sunday came out to areas damaged by a tornado that killed two Saturday and left many homes damaged.

Crews clean up Elm City

ELM CITY, N.C. – Dozens of volunteers lent a helping hand in Elm City on Sunday.

The National Weather Service reported an EF3 tornado ripped through the Wilson County town early Saturday morning.

The storm destroyed homes and left one dead.

11-year-old Joshua Wiggins was asleep in his grandparent's home when the storm hit and was killed.

On Sunday, volunteers showed up in droves to help pick up the pieces.

Resident William Pittman said after a tornado destroyed the home he shared with his wife and mother, there was one thing lifting his spirits.

"There's 75 to a hundred people out here just lending a hand,” he said. “Just doing what they can do.”

Alan Fotheringham from rocky Mount was one of the many people who dedicated their Sunday to helping out strangers in need.

Fotheringham said he didn't know anyone affected by Saturday morning's storms, but that didn't stop him from lending a helping hand.

"It would be almost an impossible task, I think, for one person to try and clean this all up by themselves,” he said. “That's why we're here.”

Along with a group of men from his church, Fotheringham spent the day picking up debris from the cotton fields surrounding Pittman's home.

Ron Norton also came along to help pick up the pieces and said helping out those in need is simply the right thing to do.

"We all suffer, whatever disasters or problems we have,” Norton said. “We all celebrate the good times and we all help out in the bad times.

Although the tornado destroyed Pittman's home, he said it renewed his faith in the goodness of people.

"You don't know it until something like this happens, but yeah, there is a lot of good people," he said.

Community mourns tornado victims

KENLY, N.C. – A community is now coming together to help out those in need after a storm ripped through Johnston County early Saturday leaving one woman dead and destroying and damaging many homes in its path.

“The people that's lost stuff, it really hurts them. They've lost their homes, they've lost a lot of things,” Sid Edwards of Kenly Freewill Baptist Church said. “But they've been holding up really good, and the people in the community [are] really backing them up.”

Church members prepared bacon, eggs, and grits to get dozens of volunteers and storm victims ready for a long day of clean up. Volunteers came from all over to help.

“It didn't take long to gather this group you see around us,” volunteer Sonny Hastings said. “We're excited to be of whatever help that we can.”

Volunteers said it could take weeks or even months to get all of the debris picked up.

And for some residents, it's all still difficult to believe.

“It's hard to put into words. It's such a loss. I feel violated,” resident Andy Boyette said.

But with the help of family, friends, and even strangers, residents said they know they'll get through this difficult time.

The storm claimed the lives of one Johnston County woman, Maryland Lopez Gomez, 60, and an 11-year-old Wilson County boy, Joshua Wiggins.