Only her prayer closet survived Alabama tornadoes. Now, she’s thanking God for new house
Earnestine Reese, 72, thanked God.
In March, she was surrounded by the rubble of her seemingly solid brick home, giving praise after she and three other family members were spared from tornadoes that killed 23 in the rural east Alabama community of Beauregard.
No walls. No ceiling. The only thing left of the house was Reese’s prayer closet.
Just before Christmas, she thanked God again. She got the keys to a new three-bedroom, two-bathroom house Friday. The new home has a safe room with concrete, steel-reinforced walls to withstand another tornado.
But the most important feature might be the new prayer closet.
For decades, Reese found solace in her closet. It was a place she could retreat to for moments of silence. There, she and her children grew closer to the Lord. Relief workers from across the country who flocked to Beauregard to help wrote out their prayers on the wall of Reese’s still-standing closet.
It’s been more than nine months since the destruction. Reminders of the storm’s devastation are still present there. Bent, uprooted trees mark the land on each side of Lee Road 39 near Reese’s house. But new construction and homes now dot the once-decimated land — a mark of progress and a sign of hope.
The recovery continues, and this Christmas gift to Reese is another step.
The tornado
Tornadoes touched down across the southeast on March 3, causing extensive damage in Alabama, Georgia and other southern states. Two cut through Lee County, Alabama. One, an EF-4, was responsible for the 23 deaths in Beauregard that day.
AL.com reported the most extensive account of Reese, the day of the storm and her prayer closet. But Kolayah Wilson spoke with the Ledger-Enquirer Friday about how the family spent that spring afternoon.
Earnestine Reese lived next door to her daughter, LaShawn Wilson; her son-in-law, Kolayah Wilson; and a grandson, Qumran Wilson.
The severe weather alarms were going off on Kolayah Wilson’s phone. Usually, the family would try to ride it out. But for some reason, he felt compelled to grab items and head to Reese’s house. The family followed news reports and soon learned they’d be in the path of the storm.
The family huddled inside Reese’s bathroom for shelter. The lights went out. The windows and the wall vibrated. Then, as it hit, it got bright. Sand flew. The roof went away and the walls fell around them in a “teepee-like shape.”
“It was like a dream really,” Kolayah Wilson said.
It was over. They had survived. Their prayers were answered.
Another family member shot a video of Reese speaking with grandson Kingston Frazier on Facetime just after the storm. Around her were the parts and pieces that once made up her home. The resulting video went viral.
“I thank the Lord. You tell God ‘Thank you,’ King King,” Reese says in the video.
It wasn’t until several days later that the family learned of the prayer closet’s fate. LaShawn Wilson said it was her mother’s secret place.
For decades, it was somewhere that Reese could take a moment and say a prayer amidst adversity or whatever else came with life. Her kids were brought inside on occasion.
When Reese was younger, there was a space on the floor for her to kneel. As she got older, a chair was brought into the closet. Inside were her church hats, dresses and purses. Everything inside was still hung up and preserved even after the tornado had taken almost everything else, LaShawn Wilson said.
“It was another reassurance of God’s blessing,” she said.
The recovery
In the aftermath of the tornadoes, numerous organizations and volunteers from across the country came to east Alabama.
Among them was Samaritan’s Purse. The North Carolina-based organization responded with disaster response specialists, heavy equipment and teams of volunteers. More than 1,400 volunteers helped 110 families by clearing debris, tarping roofs and searching for personal belongings.
The faith of Reese and the rest of the family caught the attention of Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse.
“I was in Moscow when the storms hit,” he said. “A few days later, one of our teams had taken a video and it just touched my heart when I saw the faith of this family. ...I told my son to come down here. I said ‘I want you to find that lady and find where she lived. And we’re going to build that house back.’”
In addition to rebuilding Reese’s home, Samaritan’s Purse replaced 13 homes and installed 11 storm shelters in Opelika.
The Fuller Center rebuilt the Wilsons’ home. They moved in last month, and the new house is still right next door to Reese.
“We’re truly being blessed, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” said LaShawn Wilson. “It’s complete.”
The new house
You could hear Reese saying “amen” and “hallelujah” on that cold December afternoon.
Graham, Samaritan Purse representatives, family and other guests gathered on Lee Road 39 as Reese was handed the keys to the home. She was excited as she was wheeled through the front door.
She hugged necks, accepted gifts and greeted folks who happened to walk inside. She sang gospel, joined by a chorus of family and friends in her new living room.
“What a blessing it is,” Reese said. “I thank God.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 10:38 AM.