"The most important thing is that you still have life," said Willie Keitt, who was sifting through the rubble of the home that belonged to him and his wife. "All this other stuff can be replaced. We thank God."

The homes, off S.C. 261 just west of Interstate 95, received damages worth about $372,000, said Clarendon County Emergency Services Director Anthony Mack.

Thirteen homes were destroyed and 15 were damaged in tornado at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Mack said.

Nine people were taken to the local emergency room, and four of those were then taken to Richland Memorial Hospital, in Columbia. Other victims drove themselves to the hospital, Mack said.

No deaths had been reported.

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Gov. Mark Sanford visited the community Saturday to assess the situation. He said the devastation was a "gut-wrenching" experience for the families and said the damage was far more extensive than he could have imagined.

"Your heart absolutely goes out to these families because - you look at the home to our left - there is absolutely nothing left," he said.

The tornado lifted one home and carried it nearly 50 feet away into the road and another yard, where it rested in two piles.

Francisca Yzaguirre, a friend of the family that lived there, said the mother, father and their children had been taken to the hospital, and that their youngest boy was one of the victims transported to Charleston.

"They were all watching TV last night when it happened," Yzaguirre said.

Little of the house remained in the yard, but a satellite dish was still standing.

"That thing passed like this," said Pedro Del Rio, snapping his fingers. "About two or three seconds."

Del Rio is Yzaguirre's son-in-law. His house lost portions of his roof, but he covered those parts with plastic, he said.

Courtney Garris was on crutches and had her foot bandaged because of a 2-inch gash she received when her home flipped over and she was thrown outside and on top of a car in the yard, she said.

"The only thing I remember is shaking, flipping and me landing on top of the car right there," she said.

She also had a cut on top of her head.

Her uncle, niece and 8-month-old daughter also were in the house at the time, but none was seriously hurt, she said.

The tornado also picked up Deborah Avant's mobile home and dropped it right back on its cinder blocks, which now protrude through the floor, she said.

She was at work at the time, but her five children, ages 3 to 18, were inside the home, she said.

Several windows were broken, and Avant fears the house could be a total loss.

"Right now we're at my mom's, and I was told to go up to the Ramada (Inn) and see if we could get a room for maybe a couple of nights," she said.

The Red Cross and Salvation Army were working together to help victims find lodging at the Ramada Inn and Sunset Inn in Manning.

The Red Cross planned to follow up with clothing and food assistance and could be providing aid in the community for weeks, said Nancy Cataldo, director of service center operations for the Red Cross' Central South Carolina Chapter.

The Salvation Army was cooking stew and rice and brewing coffee for the victims at the site and at the hotels.

"We're fixing to go invite the people to eat right now," said Salvation Army Maj. Newton Brown of Sumter as he stood outside the Ramada Inn.

Some families were thankful they were away from home when the tornado struck.

Keitt said his wife was working at the hospital and that he was at church choir practice.

"If I hadn't been at choir rehearsal, I would have been at home," he said.

Dorsena Walker said she thanks God she was watching a gospel video at her son's house when the tornado hit.

She returned, however, to the shock of seeing her destroyed home.

"I just said, 'Oh, my God,'" she said. "I was just so thankful that no one was in the house."

A dog chained to a tree survived the tornado and was cleaning one of its puppies Saturday afternoon. Brown, of the Salvation Army, fed the mother dog and created a shelter for the dogs with a tarp, plywood and a jacket he found.

"We just made a little place for them," he said. "I think they'll be OK now."

Sanford said millions of dollars worth of damage would be necessary to declare the community a disaster area. Often times, he said, a tornado will cause great damage but in isolated areas, and the damage total doesn't "trip that wire" for the area to receive federal aid.