A Mississippi meteorologist said a prayer for the people of his home state while live on air following a devastating tornado that has claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
As previously reported, a tornado hit Mississippi on Saturday causing massive devastation to the area and resulting in loss of life.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency tweeted at the time: "We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to work this morning. A number of assets are on the ground to assist those that have been impacted."
The natural disaster saw winds reaching between 166 and 200 mph and meteorologists followed the tornado closely as it tore through Mississippi.
Matt Laubhan, a meteorologist from WTVA 9 News, was tasked with bringing weather updates on Friday evening when the tornado began to form.
A now-viral clip of Laubhan monitoring the winds and he was informing the residents of Amory in the northeast of Mississippi what they should expect.
As he is tracking the tornado a new scan comes into the studio which shows the winds dangerously close to Amory, and Laubhan takes a moment to pause.
He put his elbow on the table and let out an audible "oh man" before sighing and saying "dear Jesus, please help them".
Laubhan was being transparent with viewers about the threat that the tornado posed, stating that everybody in Amory should get into their "tornado safe space" as the high winds were a threat to life.
The meteorologist has since been praised for turning to his faith and showing a very human response to what he was tasked with reporting was greatly appreciated by those who saw it.
"Much respect for a moment of vulnerability and humanity and some pause about this. Maybe not everybody is as religious as this meteorologist, but I’m sure he was praying for everyone in Amory - faithful or not. An unselfish gesture, expressed in the open," one Twitter user commented.
A second added: "That has got to be an unbelievable position to be in, knowing what’s about to happen and knowing you can do absolutely nothing to stop it. I bet this was the longest 3 minutes of his life."
A third said: "Being a staunchly nonreligious person I cant express how touching it is to see an earnest prayer. Not condescending, not weaponized, but a genuine moment of humanity were one human faced with a horrible reality offers their sincere prayers of protection. How beautiful."
According to the New York Times, at least 25 people lost their lives during the Tornado with dozens more injured as a result of the storm.
As rebuilding gets underway, our thoughts are with all of those affected by this tragedy.
