Spring entered like a Lion late last month as deadly tornadoes ripped through Mississippi and Alabama on March 24th. At least 26 are confirmed dead in what was a particularly deadly outbreak. Yet, the death toll could have been much worse, and a Christian weatherman from station WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi is being hailed for saving lives for two reasons: the urgency of his reporting, and an on-air prayer for those he knew were watching his coverage.
As meteorologist Matt Laubhan reported on the tornadic activity in his viewing area, his tone and demeanor became increasingly concerned as he urged residents to take cover.
“Oh man, north side of Amory, this is coming in,” he said to residents of a small town as frightening images of the tornado appeared on his radar map. Then, spontaneously, he cried out “Dear Jesus, please help them, Amen.”
One Amory resident, Leah Ann Hubbard, told the Independent that Laubhan’s serious tone is what convinced her to seek shelter from the tornadoes.
She recounted watching him report and the moment she knew her life could be in danger: “All of a sudden, Matt says, ‘This is a potentially deadly tornado.’ I just remember him saying ‘deadly’ over and over.’ He saved lives, for sure.”
In an interview with CBN, Laubhan related how his prayer to Jesus just popped out of his mouth out of his concern and care for his viewers’ safety. “Like anything that you practice without thinking, it just kind of happened,” he said.
“It was authentic,” he continued. “It did not come from me. I did not intend to pray. I’m not gonna say I thought in my head, ‘Don’t ever pray,’ but I also never intended to do it. So, I do think that it just kind of came bursting out and that it came in a situation where so many people were hurt and killed.”
Laubhan said that although he has tracked hundreds of storms, he’s “almost never” been as stressed and concerned as he was that fateful Friday night, when the warning signs he had seen communicated on paper earlier in the day had horrifyingly come to life. It is certainly a mark of his faith in God and his prayer habits that in addition to doing his job and providing his community with the information they needed to stay safe, he also uttered a prayer from his heart.
He went on to tell CBN that said prayer reflected something he has tried to teach his children, saying, “[I’ve] always taught [my] kids that prayer does not need to be like a pharisee, this long, elaborate [invocation],” Laubhan said. “If you have something in your heart, say it. God understands it.”
For her part, Leah Ann Hubbard is thankful that Matt Laubhan is her weatherman and that his warnings kept her safe. “Without Matt and the tornado sirens, we would not have known anything bad was coming,” she said. “Until it was too late.”
Laubhan’s excellent weather reporting has been honored in the past with multiple Emmys, but it’s not the earthly rewards that mean the most to him. A quick look at his social media profiles tell you what the man is all about, as he lists the three most important things in his life: “God>Family>weather.”
