Katrina: A Foretaste of Things To Come

By early evening trees were beginning to come down all
around our church and house. I had decided to stay in one
of the Sunday school rooms taking advantage of the wing
where it connects to the main section of the building. Most
of the trees were not hitting the ground hard, but were
twisting and turning and eventually laying over exposing
their huge root systems. The wind rushing over the heavy
metal roof was making a terrible roaring sound. I thought
that the panels would rip off several times during the
storm. Then several trees along Highway 11 in front of the
church began to fall and the phones went dead. My wife was
at work in Meridian, about 45 miles farther north, and it
would be two days before she was able to get in touch with
me.

Most everyone had thought that the hurricane would lose
steam and be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it
came though our area. We are about 120 miles above
Gulfport, Mississippi, so it came as a shock to everyone
that Katrina had passed through as a Category Two
hurricane. The eye passed through Newton County, only
thirty miles or so from our area. We were on the east side
which made it considerably worse. Our phone service has
just been restored only a couple of days ago and our power
and water was out for about two weeks. Some people still
don't have phone service.

Meridian, in some areas, was almost bumber to bumper
traffic. Gasoline was in short supply and tempers were
running short. There was one incident of a shooting over a
bag of ice in Waynesboro, MS, and some fights in other
areas over gasoline. People were scrambling for bread at
Walmart and overall, there was a strange sense of fear
permeating the atmosphere. If this had lasted a few more
weeks the condition would have been even more dangerous.
Motel rooms were completely full and there were people in
the area from all over the country. After the storm there
were hundreds of utility trucks everywhere, some coming in
long convoys from as far away as Dayton, Ohio. Actually the
damage in our area was light compared to areas along the
Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Since Katrina another hurricane
(Rita) has hit the Texas/LA Gulf coast and has devastated
their area as well.

Many experts are warning that these super storms are a
harbinger of things to come. Some attribute this to global
warning, others warn of solar activity which could be
creating the problem. Either way, I believe that God is
trying to get our attention, to wake us up. Jesus told us
in Luke 21:25: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in
the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring."
Many try to explain this upsurge in activity to weather
cycles or other reasons. But I believe we are seeing an
increase in related phenomena. Like a woman in travail,
the signs are becoming more severe and closer together.
Jesus went on to say, "And when these things begin to come
to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).

Slideshow of the Mississippi Coast