|
| The Snyder home after the EF5 tornado hit Hackleburg, Ala., in April 2011. |
The world was horrified when the
tsunami and earthquakes hit Japan in March, but tragedy struck our
own nation last week as a rash of tornadoes tore through southern
states, killing hundreds. But in the midst of tragedy, one Alabama
youth is still praising God with everything in him.
Despite the danger he and his family
faced, Joseph Snyder, a victim of the storms in Hackleburg, Ala.,
still found a reason to worship God.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration reports that there were a record-breaking 197
tornadoes between April 25 and 28, and that number keeps rising. In
the 24-hour-period from 8 a.m. April 27 to 8 a.m. April 28, there
were 340 fatalities.
Sarah Weinburg,
travel coordinator at Dutch Sheets Ministries in Hamilton, Ala., has
directly seen the effects of the tornadoes.
“Seeing a tragedy like this firsthand
has had an effect on me I didn’t expect,” Weinburg says. “I have
seen many pictures of the devastation caused by [other natural]
disasters … but seeing the pictures is nothing like being in the
middle of it and seeing it with my own eyes. The utter devastation,
ruin and loss is something I struggle to put into words.”
Alabama got hit especially hard.
Meteorologists in Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala., say the state
suffered through 36 tornadoes, according to Alabama news website,
al.com. As of Wednesday, the death toll is at 236, and more than 2,000
are injured, according to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
But believers there are still finding plenty to be thankful for.
Indeed, Weinburg was touched as she
watched 11-year-old Snyder dance and praise the Lord during a worship service
on Sunday. “He sees the devastation and experiences the trauma
everywhere he looks, yet he still worships like this. [It’s]
absolutely amazing,” she says.
According to the NOAA, the massive
Hackleburg tornado—an EF5 with winds above 200 mph—could be the
deadliest since 1955, killing 70. Snyder and his family were huddled
in their hallway as a tornado ripped through their house, ravaging
everything. Miraculously, the spot where the family of five took
cover was the only place in the house left untouched, and they all
got out unharmed.
“Looking at that house today is
witnessing a true miracle that they are all alive,” Weinburg says.
“I have no doubt angels hovered around them, not allowing the storm
to take their lives.”
Click
here to view a video of Joseph Snyder worshipping after his
family lost everything.
