In times of intense sorrow, sometimes even the smallest sign gives us enough hope to keep pressing onward.
That small sign, for one Alabama family, came in the form of a stalwart prayer closet — a stubborn corner of a completely destroyed home that refused to fall following an intense EF-4 tornado earlier this month.
“I just left a family who survived the tornado in this house and the only left standing is this closet,” Jason Smith wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s the grandmother’s prayer closet, and the whole family survived. Are you kiddin’ me!!! My God is awesome!!! Shout somebody!”
Officials described March 3 — the day the tornado touched down in Lee County — as the deadliest day of tornadoes in the U.S. in six years, according to WXIA-TV. Winds from the tornado reached around 170 mph.
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In total, the storm, which was described by the National Weather Service as a “monster tornado,” claimed the lives of 23 people, including four children.
One survivor, John Jones, said he’s “still thanking God” he is alive after the deadly tornado.
Jonathan Clardy, who huddled in his trailer home with his family as the tornado ripped the roof off, recalled, “All we could do is just hold on for life and pray. It’s a blessing from God that me and my young’ns are alive.”