It was 5:15 pm. A mile wide tornado was heading straight for us. It moved like a combine tractor out harvesting wheat. Only in this case it was harvesting lives, possessions and property. It was impossible to see one end from the other. Dad had called to warn us when the newscasters realized this deadly tornado had turned and was now headed straight for the heart of Tuscaloosa. It was headed for my mother and father’s heart as well. On the other end of the phone line, my dad was met with hysterical screaming. The tornado was already upon us. Chuck had the phone in his hand and heard my dad say, “Please, take care of my girls.” All went silent…
It was a typical spring day here in the South. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. This particular spring day was unusually warm and felt more like July than April. The town was going along with business as usual. We had been warned that it would be a day marked by strong storms and possible record sized tornadoes. My sister and I had just gotten back to our apartment that we shared downtown. We were roommates during our college days. Chuck and I were dating at the time and I decided to call him and ask him to come over. The storms were fast approaching and I was a bit uneasy. I had also called my mom and dad to get their thoughts on the weather. My dad was always one for skepticism when it came to storms. He made light of the situation and said, “Well Sis, back the car out of the driveway and pour anything that looks like sin down the drain.” Basically, implying I needed to get my life together. I laughed and hung up the phone shortly after. Had I known that would be the last time I would talk to my dad before all hell broke loose, the conversation may have gone a bit differently.
The minutes that followed would drastically change me forever. We heard the warning sirens sound for our area. The course for this monster they called a tornado had changed and it was headed straight for us! We quickly huddled in the bathroom with a mattress over our heads. My eyes became the size of saucers as I heard it approaching. I thought to myself, “What is that sound?!” The sound of an EF5 tornado placed markers in my eardrums that I will not soon forget. The sound lies somewhere between that of a Boeing 747-jet airliner preparing for takeoff and a railway train engine speeding down the tracks.
Everything began to shake. The barometric pressure became so intense it pinned us down to the floor. Our apartment building exploded sending bricks, wood, glass and other debris flying through the air. Outside our apartment you could hear the sound of cars, trees and people taking flight on a ride not requested. As debris was flying through the air and our life flashed before our eyes, I remember thinking, “I am not going to die today!” Determination is a key ingredient in survival of any kind. A Psalm came to my mind that my mom had taught me growing up. She used to quote it every morning during our morning prayer. I lifted my head and began to quote Psalms 91 as loud as I could. In that moment, it was as if something dropped into the room with us. Like someone draped a covering over us and time stood still.
When we knew it was safe, we made our way out of the bathroom and sifted through all kinds of debris to get to the front door. It was jammed so we climbed out of a shattered window onto what used to be our balcony. It’s hard to put into words what we saw. How could something that lasted about thirty seconds leave such life-altering destruction? This jet-propelled train engine left a path 314 miles long and devoured everything that dared stand in its way. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I stared into destroyed homes of perfect strangers. It was as if my childhood dollhouse had become life size. I could see people crawling out from under debris, climbing out of bathtubs and calling out for help from second story buildings. We could hear the cries of people trapped underneath houses as we ran up and down our neighborhood trying to help as many people as we could. It was impossible to get in or out of the area. All the roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines, disheveled cars and buildings. People were walking around covered in blood, tears and dirt; In utter shock and hopelessly lost. No one knew the extent of the damage until the days that followed. All that was known was it went on for miles. The sound of sirens would become a lullaby we would sleep to, if we slept at all.
Many weeks later, as clean up and restoration began to find its start, I found myself back at our old apartment. Nothing remained inside the building. It was empty and lifeless. As I was getting ready to leave, I ran into the owner. She was doing some evaluations of the building. We talked briefly and then before I left, she shared something so interesting with me. She told me that the apartment building was the only building in the neighborhood that would not have to be totally demolished and rebuilt. She said the contractors came out and told her that although it would need to be completely gutted and reconstructed, the foundation was solid.
I knew in that moment what the Lord was trying to show me. There was nothing wrong with my foundation, God simply had a major reconstruction project to do in my life. Whatever my past rebellion, upon coming to Christ a practical reinstatement of God’s word as the governing principle for my life had to take place. Without change I would compromise the level of life He desired for me. I knew God was turning my heart back toward him and welcoming me home.
There was a story that made the morning paper about a little boy separated from his family during the tornado. They were out eating and the restaurant took a direct hit. First responders found the boy in the kitchen freezer. When he was reunited with his parents, they asked him how he managed to get into the freezer? The boy replied, “The man with wings put me here.”
People often ask me if I live with great fear of tornadoes since that storm. I tell them honestly that I do have a great respect for tornadoes, but I do not fear them. Although I didn’t see him, I felt him. The man with wings covered us with his feathers that day and under his strong and mighty wings we too, took refuge.
“He that dwells in the secret place of the MOST HIGH shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge, my fortress, my God and in Him will I trust.” Psalms 91:1
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