A storm chaser is helping a family from Mississippi start a new life and have a new house after he rescued them from the deadly tornado that tore down their home.
Jonny Gabel has been chasing storms since 2018, and as a carpenter by profession, he has also been helping storm victims rebuild their houses since then, which he described as "the most rewarding thing" he has ever experienced, he told People.
"I want to build them a new house. I've been building houses my whole life, and this is my calling. This is how I can make an even bigger difference in this world. They've been saying I'm an angel," Gabel expressed.
He is currently building a house for a family he rescued from the deadly tornado that invaded Mississippi last Friday night. The victims were from Rolling Fork, a rural town that has been most devastated and impacted, along with Silver City.
Miracle amidst the torando
Eldridge Walker, the Rolling Fork Mayor, stated to CNN that his "city is gone."
This town, having less than 2,000 residents who live under constant fear of flooding, was described by one of its residents as "obliterated" after it was struck by the tornado at a strength of EF-4, according to the National Weather Service team member. Meteorologist Bill Parker stated that the town experienced 170 miles per hour of maximum winds.
Gabel and his group were led by a storm that eventually became a tornado in this town. He said they stopped chasing the storm Friday and went straight to Rolling Fork to help with search and rescue. There, he met the family whose house he would help rebuild, also the first family they helped in that town.
When he arrived in the town, he described seeing a "really eerie scene" of a long row of trees split in half and exposed electrical wirings and hearing someone screaming for help from the rubble remains of a house.
He was surprised to see an elderly woman left "unscathed" except for a cut on her thumb. More so, the entire family in the house during the incident did not get any injury, which for Gabel was truly a miracle, especially since the Dollar General was completely shattered just a few yards away.
The woman told Gabel the tornado "just kind of came out of nowhere." The next thing she knew, their roof was already torn down, and the walls had come off right in front of her in one swift motion.
Construction services for free
The miracle that he witnessed "blew his mind." Thus, he decided to help them start anew with a new home he would build.
He had a video recording of the rescue they did at the family's home, which he has already posted on TikTok and has now garnered over 150,000 views. Thanks to his TikTok video, it also became the instrument to get in touch with one of the family's relatives and be updated on how the family is, which eventually led to the project of building them a house.
@jonnygabel Thank you so much, #FOXNEWS! This helps us. #tornado #relief #gofundme #rollingfork #miracle ♬ original sound - Jonny Gabel
Gabel will be offering his construction services for free. Donations are coming in, and he is looking for an accountant to manage them as he expects to receive at least a dollar from each of his almost 50,000 followers in TikTok.
He has already expressed to his followers that their one dollar will "help in mighty ways" to finish the project and provide a new house for the family.
An estimated 26 people died, and dozens were injured in the storms and tornado that hit Mississippi last Friday. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a State of Emergency in all counties, while President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for federal aid to help with the recovery efforts.
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