Anyone who’s lived through a natural disaster can relate to the sense of hopelessness that can overwhelm you in the immediate aftermath. Questions arise about not only your future but what lies ahead for the place you call home: will things ever return to normal? FOX Weather is taking a look at communities struck by extreme weather and how people who live there say their faith helped put their towns on a path to recovery.
In December 2021, a massive tornado ripped through the western Kentucky town of Mayfield, and the town of about 10,000 people was devastated. Eric Walker, who attends Christ Methodist Church in Mayfield, said he was shocked to see the destruction of the congregation’s building. He said the future of the town is much more certain two years later. Walker said, “Hope springs eternal, and that’s what we’re going through now; today is not the end story, that there’s more to come.”
Christ Methodist Church Pastor Mark Stephens said, “It’s disheartening. It’s devastating, but you’ve got to keep your face up, and you’ve got to have hope and not give up.” Nearly 60 people were killed along the entire track of the tornado that stretched from Arkansas to near Ohio. FOX Weather’s Robert Ray returned to Mayfield to see how religious leaders are helping the community heal.
Community Baptist Church and Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Middle Tennessee were destroyed during a tornado outbreak in December 2023. An emotional Community Baptist Church Pastor Vincent Johnson, who survived the twister, said, “I heard a roar, but I also heard, ‘Not today.’ Because when I saw the building blew away, I just said, ‘God, this is it,’ and I heard God speak to me and say, ‘Not today.'” FOX Weather’s Nicole Valdes traveled to the hard-hit region to see how unity drives the two churches forward.
Sanibel Island, Florida, was one of the places most devastated by the wrath of Hurricane Ian in 2022. Floodwater from the storm surge reached as high as 5 feet inside St. Michael’s Church on the island. “Faith is believing in something that you can’t see, and early on in this process, I couldn’t imagine this being rebuilt the way it was,” said Bill Van Oss, the rector of the church. FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell traveled to Sanibel Island to see how the community has recovered in the storm’s wake.
In June 2023, the First Congregational Church in Spencer, Massachusetts, burned to the ground after a lightning strike started a fire at the 160-year-old church. “We hope to be able to put something here, and there will be something,” said Pastor Bruce MacLeod. “It won’t be as grand, but (it) will be a symbol for the community as well. FOX Weather’s Katie Byrne went to Spencer to see how the community is rebuilding through hope.