Tornado by Susan L.

  My thoughts and prayers go out to those people in Angus who where hit by the EF2 tornado on Tuesday night. It's only about fifteen kilometers from my house. I watched the storm roar through from my living room window. Although all I could see were the treetops whipping around as the temperature plummeted within seconds, a sure sign of potential tornadoes. I knew if I lived in the open the rain would have been falling sideways, the storm was that ferocious.
  Thankfully, no one was killed. The tornado, with 180 kilometer winds was strong enough to pick up patio stones and toss them like a child throwing Lego around. It threw an eighteen wheeler onto its side, ripped roofs off houses, where they landed three doors down and stripped the walls and shingles away from others. Further away, a barn was picked up and wrapped around a house.
  There is one thing that amazes me about this type of storm. One house, where an entire wall disappeared, the bricks, sheathing, insulation, drywall all gone. The news crews showed a picture of the bedroom where the furniture was visible from the street. The bed still had two pillows resting against the headboard as if nothing had happened. The houses standing beside the swath of destruction were also spared, not a shingle was out of place.
  I pray patience for those who have been impacted. I pray the insurance adjusters move quickly to help those who want to get their lives back. I pray that during the investigations, the retrieval of personal belongs, and the rebuilding of lives that no one gets hurt. I ask that the police guarding the street from potential looters be safe as well. If they catch anyone, I pray that person will get the help they need to overcome what forced them to steal in the first place. I pray for honesty and integrity in the contractors, that there be no outrageous pricing, no taking advantage of those who are in desperate need of their services.
  But most of all, I pray that You, Lord, will use this to bring Your children into the fold. I pray their eyes be opened to the miracles that took place amidst the destruction. In Jesus' name, Amen!
  "The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet." Nah 1:3