A man miraculously survived being trapped under a collapsed candle factory in one of the structures flattened by tornadoes, Friday, December 10, in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Mark Saxton said his wife Courtney was praying with him over the phone while he was under the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products Factory, saying “keep fighting” and “God will work it out”.
Courtney recalled the scary incident.
“He was calling us hollering and screaming and crying because he was stuck,” she said, “So I prayed with him over the phone, too. I just kept talking to him, kept telling him that God will work it out, be strong, don’t give up, keep fighting.”
Mark Saxton escaped with minor scrapes and bruises but his cousin, Robert Daniels, a corrections officer in charge of inmates working at the site, died.
He said he quickly backed away when he saw the twister approaching but he couldn’t outrace the speed, force, and impact of the tornado.
“I really didn’t think I was going to make it. If you see the people that were beside me … I can’t believe I’m even here,” Mark said. He added that the tiles and the concrete around the building started to fall and the walls imploded.
At that moment, people just began to run. Mark said that instead of following the crowd, he dropped to the ground and covered his head in a fetal position.
Courtney endured her harrowing ordeal when the tornado tore the roof off their home, trapping her and the couple’s five children in a bathtub.
She said she tried to calm down her children who were crying and screaming as she was praying inside her. She said that she knew God would save them from the calamity.
In the latest statistics, 74 people have died from the tornadoes. The death toll figures, according to Gov. Andy Beshear, came from emergency management officials and may differ from the county coroner’s report. On Monday afternoon, the governor stated that the numbers would change because “we have several of our towns in ruins.”
Authorities have already appealed for food, water, clothing, and even blood donations. Governor reports that help is pouring from all over the county. No registration is needed as the state will reach out directly to the affected people.
During these times when we cannot be physically present to help, we can pray for the calamity victims. God hears the prayers of His people and is the present help of those in need. Continue to pray for those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, properties, and businesses. May God have mercy on us and may this be a way for people to call on the name of the Lord.