I spent New Year’s weekend in rural northeast Alabama at a camp I’ve been to numerous times in the past 6 years. Last April, severe tornadoes came through this area, and the camp was one of the areas that was hit.
I’ve never visited an area that was ravaged by a tornado before. We could see swaths of damage here and there as we made our way down the main roads at dusk. However, as we arrived at the turn off for the camp, I was speechless. As an outdoorsman and a horticulturalist, I’ve seen nature do some pretty wild things. But this was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was as if a giant had taken its hand and swiped it over the land in the way a child parts the water in a bathtub. I was told the camp estimates it had 40,000 trees destroyed …yes, 40,000, on one property. Here’s what it looked like.
It’s always upsetting to me to hear about areas hit by natural disaster and such….that could be me or one of my loved ones….will they draw nearer to Him through it or become bitter and blame Him? We saw the site of the Stamford, Ct. fire that killed 3 children and their grandparents a few weeks ago while visiting my brother in New England. The large charred hole in the ground and the heap of stuffed animals at the curb were a so sad. They certainly need our prayers for strength AND physical and emotional support from others in their neighborhood.
Do you have any before pics? Seeing the difference might show the change even more.
Unfortunately, no, I don’t have any pictures taken prior to the storms.