And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7 : 25
LISA BAUMANN and MARK THIESSEN
Fri, April 4, 2025 at 8:21 PM GMT+33 min read
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Severe Weather
A storm damaged home is seen Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Selmer, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An average of 1,200 tornadoes hit the United States yearly, and the country will probably get more killer supercells spawning tornadoes and hail as the world warms, according to a 2023 study.
That study also warns the severe storms are edging eastward to strike more frequently in populous Southern states including Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. But tornadoes can happen at any time of year and have been reported in all 50 states, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
In accidents and calamities by land and by sea, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail-storms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes,—in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. The visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast. “The earth mourneth and fadeth away, … the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling against one another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse-races, gambling-hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation’s hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agents to work, that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied, and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut. The time is right upon us when there will be sorrow that no human balm can heal. Sentinel angels are now restraining the four winds, that they shall not blow till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads; but when God shall bid his angels loose the winds, there will be a scene of strife such as no pen can picture.
The “time of trouble, such as never was,” is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality, but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation can not reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that trial every man must stand for himself before God. Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, “as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters;” “they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness.” RH March 14, 1912, par. 5 – RH March 14, 1912, par. 7
What should you do after a tornado if your home is damaged or destroyed?
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.Psalm 119 : 54
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Focus on your safety
The word people most commonly use to describe their mindset after a natural disaster is “overwhelmed,” according to United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates for insurance consumers.
“Our basic guidance is to first focus on you and your family’s safety,” said Amy Bach, United Policyholders’ executive director.
Next, if possible, she recommends photographing and documenting damaged and destroyed property — without entering severely damaged buildings — and determining whether further damage can be prevented through the use of tarps, fans or other methods.
Finding safe and comfortable temporary shelter and getting a copy of your current insurance policy are important next steps. When you’re safe, have shelter, and have an idea of the extent of your home’s damage, be sure to notify your insurance company.
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How’s your house insurance?
And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Luke 12 : 39
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1 : 7
Tornado damage is generally covered under homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies. But you’ll want to read your insurance policy to know your deductible costs and what is covered, Bach said. If damage is minor to moderate, it might not cost as much to repair as the deductible in your policy.
He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.Proverbs 10 : 5, The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;Proverbs 30 : 25, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 6 : 8
“We tell people not to rush and to instead take stock and get situated before making any decisions,” she said. “Know that you’ll get solicited (by contractors), and in the first 48 hours, the shock and the trauma generally means you’re not in your best decision-making mode.”
For temporary, immediate housing, people often turn to a shelter opened by a local government, the American Red Cross or other organizations.
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In addition to providing a place to sleep, water and meals, Red Cross services — all of which are free — can sometimes also include child care, information about disaster-related resources in the community, and access to case workers to help with disaster recovery.
People also may need to access insurance to cover longer-term housing, to rebuild a home and/or replace belongings, including vehicles.
If you are not able to live in your home, keep receipts for hotel bills, clothing and meals, and take notes on the calls you make to insurance companies, including the numbers you call, the people spoken to, dates and times, and what was said.
Keep up payments
[19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 6 : 19-20
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If your residence is temporarily uninhabitable or destroyed, the Red Cross recommends notifying utility companies and other services so they can stop billing you immediately. Paying insurance premiums and rent or mortgage should be your highest priority, according to the Red Cross.
The Lord of heaven permits the world to choose whom they will have as ruler. Let all read carefully the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, for it concerns every human agent, great and small. Every human being must take sides, either for the true and living God, who has given to the world the memorial of creation in the seventh-day Sabbath, or for a false sabbath, instituted by men who have exalted themselves above all that is called God or that is worshipped, who have taken upon themselves the attributes of Satan, in oppressing the loyal and true who keep the commandments of God. This persecuting power will compel the worship of the beast by insisting on the observance of the Sabbath he has instituted. Thus he blasphemes God, “sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself that he is God.” [2 Thessalonians 2:4.]
This worship of a false sabbath is a wedge that split the Protestant churches from God, and left them naked. 11LtMs, Ms 7a, 1896, par. 10 – 11LtMs, Ms 7a, 1896, par. 11
Call any creditors and ask for more time to pay. Most creditors will be willing to work with you, especially if you notify them before a payment is due, the Red Cross said.
Overall, most people have a very steep learning curve after a tornado or other natural disaster because people think they’ll be OK if they have insurance.
The Red Cross also has a section on its website dedicated to recovering emotionally after a disaster.
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Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington, and Thiessen from Anchorage, Alaska.
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