WhatFinger

If it hasn't yet occurred to you to pray for Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

Meanwhile . . . pray for Gatlinburg

By Dan Calabrese ——--December 1, 2016

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I feel negligent that we haven't dealt with this before now. Yes, it's nonpolitical, but we normally pay plenty of attention to stories that affect (and especially that threaten) large numbers of people. I don't know if you've ever been to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. I've been there several times, and even visited Dollywood, which may be in its final days - or even hours. It occurred to me yesterday that if there's any silver lining to a situation like this, it's that people would presumably have enough warning that they could at least get out of there and escape the threat to their own lives. But sadly we're finding out that's not universally true:
One more person has been confirmed dead in the wildfires that swept Gatlinburg this week, authorities said at a Wednesday news conference. The death brings the number of people killed to four in the blaze that destroyed more than 150 homes and businesses as flames whipped in high winds raged through town Monday night into Tuesday morning and displaced more than 14,000 residents. Witnesses called the inferno unlike any in the past century, and officials estimate that the wildfires have consumed more than 15,000 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains. A firefighter also was hurt fighting the blaze, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. The search continues for others who might have been killed or injured but not discovered because of blocked roads and power outages. "We are trying to get into every area," Waters said. "Those efforts will continue today."
Eight new fires erupted Tuesday into Wednesday, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. The heavy rains that followed the fires have created new challenges as firefighters continue to check hot spots and assess damages. "We're experiencing small rockslides and mudslides as we have to go back into areas we previously thought were accessible," the chief said.
The fires are so strong that the very heavy rain that fell Monday barely touched them. There have also been conflicting reports about animals being abandoned at the famed aquarium in Pigeon Forge, although I believe the more accurate information I received yesterday is that authorities were in fact able to get all the animals out safely. To date, 14,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes, and there is no guarantee the homes will be waiting for them to go back to when the fire is over.

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This is one of those situations when you realize prayer is the only thing you can offer the people in the path of this disaster. But it's also when you understand, if you're a Christian, that prayer is no small thing to be able to offer. I don't pretend to know what God will do or why He chose to let it get to this point. But I know He is sovereign over this and there is no one in danger that he cannot snatch away to safety. If it hasn't yet occurred to you to pray for Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, please just take a few seconds and do so now. Asking the Almighty God to help is a very big thing indeed, and He will. By the way, I don't smell a thing.
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Dan Calabrese——

Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain

Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.

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