Devastaed

I'm not sure if you guys knew about all the CRAZY weather that came through Alabama & Georgia about 2 weeks ago. I'm sure you've seen the images of the Tornado that completely wiped away Tuscaloosa or have heard about it. That storm system was nasty and violent and just in Georgia in that one day over a 100 tornados touched down. I was glued to the t.v. all afternoon and night. I was watching the weather channel as the Alabama tornado went through Birmingham! It was so crazy! So as the night progressed I was glued o the local channels that were tracking a few storm cells headed our way. As it turned out, at about 12:45 a.m. on Thursday morning a tornado touched down in our town about 3 miles from our house. We had no idea, until a friend called me to see if we were okay. Thankfully, we were.We were in the pantry of our house with pillows, couch cousions and everything.

Knowing that a tornado touched down so close to us was terrifying. The next morning I woke up early to check everything out. I left for work about an hour early to ride around. Nothing I could have ever thought could have prepared me for that drive. We live in central Georgia. Tornadoes are RARE and very unusual. So I was not expecting what saw. Houses completely gone and in the middle of the road. Trees flattned like grass. Cars tossed around like toys. Trees completely snapped in half or completly uprooted. The saddest part was seeing the people who lived in those houses that were devastated. Early in the morning they were walking through the rubble picking up what little they could save. You could see people crying and friends trying to console them. It was a disaster area and it is in my hometown. I feel so blessed and lucky that we were okay, but I do not feel satisfaction that we were spared, because so many people lost so much.

So, I've been processing this these past few weeks. Passing the area that was destroyed everyday on m way to town. Now the houses are gone & just bare dirt is left. Trees are still everywhere. Everyday people are working to clean everything up. It's hard to wrap your mind around something like this. To see it with your eyes and feel it in your gut. It's different when its on the t.v. screen or web page. To see it with your own two eyes gives you this sickening feeling that we are so small and so weak that we can't even protect ourself against the weather. We have to hide in closets, basements or pantrys and pray to God that we make it out alive. Then when we do make it out alive we are so relieved. What's the relief for? Because we were spared? How can you feel relieved when people down the street from you have nothing. You can't. It's overwhelming and heartbreaking.

So please pray for my town, Lamar County, Georgia & Spalding County, Georgia. There were lives lost and homes completly gone. These aren't the only places affeted, but these are the cloeset to us.