Rain, hail, snow and earthquakes

By The Final Call | Last updated: Dec 19, 2018 - 11:14:37 AM

Steven Tirpak cleans debris from the remains of his two-story home after rare December tornadoes struck in Taylorville, Ill., Dec. 2. Tirpak and his infant were not home when the storm struck. The National Weather Service says multiple tornadoes touched down in central Illinois, damaging dozens of structures and injuring multiple people. Photos: AP/Wide World Photos

DECATUR, Tenn.—The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught for decades that God would use the forces of nature to humble America and to punish her for its evil perpetrated against the Black man and woman. “America is surrounded with the judgments of Allah—The four great judgments of rain, hail, snow and earthquakes and confusion in the heads of state,” wrote Mr. Muhammad in his 1973 book, “The Fall of America.”

An earthquake that struck eastern Tennessee early Dec. 12 could be felt as far away as Atlanta, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The light earthquake occurred about 4:15 a.m. and was centered about seven miles northeast of Decatur. About 15 minutes later, a 3.3 magnitude aftershock struck.

According to the USGS, the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone is one of the most active earthquake areas in the Southeast. The zone extends across parts of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

There didn’t appear to be any immediate reports of injuries, but people definitely felt it. Dispatchers said some people reported their beds shaking and dishes rattling. There are reports that the earthquake registered as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio.

Winter weather continued to plague many parts of western Montana. At Final Call presstime, the National Weather Service posted blizzard and winter storm warnings as well as winter weather advisories for parts of the region. This was on the heels of several Southern states being hit hard by a wintry storm as residents were bracing for plunging temperatures Dec. 11 that were expected to possibly refreeze melting snow and make roads more treacherous. The storm that blew in over the first weekend in December was blamed for at least three deaths in North Carolina, along with numerous car crashes, power outages and canceled flights.

A snow plow moves on a snowy Durham, N.C., street after several inches fell Dec. 9. A storm spread snow, sleet and freezing rain across a wide swath of the South, raising the threat of immobilizing snow, icy roads and possible power outages.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on Dec. 10 that the worst of the storm had passed, but residents— particularly motorists—should keep watch for dangerous conditions. Melting snow and ice could make roads slick as temperatures fall and moisture refreezes, Gov. Cooper said at a news conference. The Highway Patrol already had responded to more than 670 collisions and nearly 1,600 calls for services since the storm began.

“We need to stay vigilant. We’re not out of the woods yet,” Gov. Cooper said Dec. 10. “This storm dropped staggering amounts of snow, ice and rain across our state. A year’s worth of snowfall or more fell in some places in a little more than a day.” More than 20 inches (50 centimeters) fell in parts of western North Carolina.

A truck driver died Dec. 9 after suffering what appeared to be a heart attack from shoveling out his rig that got stuck at the height of the storm along Interstate 77 in the central part of the state, Yadkin County Emergency Services Director Keith Vestal said.

The state emergency operations center also said one man died Dec. 9 when a tree fell on him in Mecklenburg County, while an ailing woman died in Haywood County when her oxygen was cut off due to power outages.

In Charlotte, police shut down a street Dec. 9 after reports of ice falling from the Duke Energy Center. And an overturned truck full of pigs added to traffic delays in the western part of that state. According to The Weather Channel, flash flooding from melting snow could add more water to rivers and streams causing flooding in some areas.

Over the first weekend of December, up to 11 inches of rain triggered major flooding in parts of North Florida and South Georgia. Flooding reached the doors of homes in Waycross, Georgia, reported weather.com. Rain and thunderstorms also soaked parts of Oklahoma, east Texas and Arkansas.

“Dozens of cities have already recorded one of their wettest years through Dec. 11, according to data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC),” noted weather.com. According to the website hail.org there were reports of hail in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas in late November and early December.

Mr. Muhammad stated that “the forces of nature are great weapons as we see them in play upon America.” Minister Louis Farrakhan, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s national representative, has repeatedly warned people inside and outside of America how God will continue to exact His punishment.

“Watch what is happening to America and the world with weather,” the Minister shared with His Excellency Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, during his recent trip to Tehran, Iran.

“You said Allah doesn’t need these little cheap weapons to fight with. He fights with rain, hail, snow, earthquakes, wind, fire, and freezing cold. Allah has destroyed nations with gnats. Just a bug—you can’t fight Allah and win,” said the Minister.

“After I give a lecture, I tell the people to watch the weather and then I leave. I’m going to say it again when I leave here, watch the weather and see what Allah is going to do inside and outside of America.”

(Compiled from Associated Press reports. Final Call staff contributed to this report.)

The Final Call