A Mississippi meteorologist went viral after he prayed on-air while giving a weather report of a tornado headed for a small town. Meteorologist Matt Laubhan was reporting a massive tornado that was within minutes of the small town of Amory, MS. Laubhan grew visibly concerned about the town’s well-being, encouraging people to get to safety. As the tornado approached on radar, he paused mid-report, saying, “Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen.” 

The heartfelt plea is being credited for saving lives. “He saved lives, for sure,” Leah Ann Hubbard told The Independent. “We knew it was coming, but you didn’t know if it was going to touch down. All of a sudden, Matt says, ‘This is a potentially deadly tornado.’ I just remember him saying ‘deadly’ over and over.” She stated the prayer alerted viewers to how serious the situation was. Laubhan later spoke to CNN about why he prayed. He began by saying he wasn’t originally intending to pray but that the gravity of the situation had left him at a loss for words, and he felt “overwhelmed.” “It just kind of came out,” he said. He said it was a moment where God “just kind of took over.” 

Laubhan spoke more about his faith with Faithwire. He stated that he did not believe in coincidences and that he had just read an article from the Storm Prediction Center that gave him an idea of the sort of severity he was looking at for the tornado in Amory. He then shared about the importance of prayer in his life and the life of his family. “[I’ve] always taught [my] kids that prayer does not need to be like a pharisee, this long, elaborate [invocation]. If you have something in your heart, say it. God understands it,” he said. 

As he addressed people saying the prayer helped them to take his warning more seriously, he credited God. “I believe that God helps people interpret and hear things the way they need to hear it. I do ask from time to time for people … if you feel compelled, pray … but I don’t lead the prayer. It’s public airwaves, and you want to make sure that you don’t alienate anybody,” he said. He said the prayer impacted people because “It was authentic.” “It did not come from me,” he said. “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.” Over two dozen people have been reported killed during the Mississippi tornado. If you wish to give financially to support the victims, you can donate here.