It was Friday, March 24, 10:53 in the evening … and a monster EF-3 tornado almost two miles wide had the northeast Mississippi town of Amory in its sights – and it wasn't slowing down. WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan had been through this before, and he knew there was nothing he could do … but pray.
Laubhan: "North side of Amory, this is coming in. Oh, man. Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen."
And God did. More than 4,100 homes were damaged or destroyed … and not one loss of life within the city limits.
It's now a year later and Eight Days of Hope president Steve Tybor says they're the hands and feet of Jesus in town, ready to help for free.
"We have over 500 volunteers from the state of Mississippi here this week, but they're also coming from New York and Rhode Island and California. They're coming from Canada," he tells AFN. "We had a volunteer the other day check in [and ask]: 'Steve, I'm coming … but where is Amory, Mississippi?'"
It's the ministry's 20th "rebuild" – and they'll rebuild entire houses, install new roofs and windows, remove trees … basically anything the homeowner needs.
David Corson came from North Carolina to lead a team. When asked what they planned to do with one house, he replied: "We're gonna put a new roof on it. We'll put sheetrock up, give it new appliances. Hopefully, we'll make it all the way to being able to paint it."
Tybor says Amory residents won't be the only ones who end up better than before.
"I told the volunteers this morning, 'You're going to come back tonight, you're gonna be tired but your hearts are going to be so full.' These homeowners, who were strangers to them just hours ago, will become their friends," he shared. "They'll be getting Christmas cards from them. That's how it's happened for years."
National headquarters for Eight Days of Hope is located a mere 30 miles from Amory, near Pontotoc, Mississippi.
