On Dec. 23 cold weather began to move into Texas, dropping temperatures that had been in the 70's rapidly down into the 30's and 20's. It was an explosive mix that produced 30 and 40 mile per hour gusts across North Texas that by Christmas Eve would see snow blowing horizontally.
In Lufkin, Texas on that Wednesday night; many people were relaxing or getting ready to go to bed. They were probably tired from a day of work mixed with last minute Christmas preparations. I could imagine children being pretty excited as another day ended and brought them one day closer to Christmas.
And then a storm came roaring in. And some time after 10pm people began reporting a funnel cloud to the south and north side of downtown around the Loop. Without warning this funnell cloud landed as a tornado rated between a F1-F3 and left a trail three miles long and about 400 yards wide that devastated the sub-division at Englewood, and homes and buildings along Atkinson Drive, Lubbock Street and Kit McCormick Park and destroyed the VFW Post on Ford Chapel Road. The VFW Post looked like a battle scene where the enemy shelled it until its roof caved in and its walls were battered- but the flag was still there. The local elementary school looked like an aerial attack had targeted it and taken it out with missiles and bombs.
As I drove around surveying the damaged areas I looked at homes with giant trees laying on the roofs. Trees and branches had come down on garages and crushed the cars inside. Metal Debris hung high in trees whose branches were torn and bark was stripped. One house would look fine just a few yards up from their neighbors destroyed house or between two destroyed homes. Bare fields lay exposed where pine trees once stood. People were walking with dazed looks on their faces and many were trying to dig their way out of the damaged houses and buildings to begin the road to recovery and the hope of normalcy.
As I continued to write my observation report for the Incident Command Center and to talk to people in the neighborhoods to encourage and pray with them. One thing struck me- no one was killed or seriously injured. If you were seeing the damage I was witnessing you would know how miraculous this was.
It was also a miracle that the terroist on the Northwest Airlines flight was unable to blow up the flight after lighting his weapon.
I know people say if there is a God why do bad things happen. Why are there diseases and why do people die. I know that we can debate matters of faith or no faith. I believe God prevented people from being injured or killed from the winter tornado and I have felt that at countless ground zero's.
I give thanks and praise to God because I believe He protected people in Lufkin from the "Christmas Twister!"
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