‘Amen,’ then a roar: Arizona church takes shelter amid tornado warning

Members of Overgaard Baptist Church had just said amen when the storm hit Wednesday evening.

The doors blew open, and those gathered for a prayer meeting rushed into a restroom with two concrete walls and no windows, Pastor Eric Woods told KTAR News 92.3 FM. They had received a tornado warning and prayed for their neighbors’ protection.

“We didn’t expect it to hit us,” Woods said.

The storm passed in roughly 30 seconds to a minute, he estimated, with a sound he described as “a roaring freight train.”

How bad was the damage at Overgaard Baptist Church after tornado warning?

When church members emerged, they found fallen trees, roof damage and a toppled steeple. A window in a new building under construction was broken, and a dumpster had blown across the parking lot.

Nobody at the church was hurt, Woods said.

“What stayed and what went is really beyond me,” he said.

Among the losses was a large ponderosa pine Woods had long worried could fall onto a church building or his office during strong winds. Instead, it fell in another direction, tearing up concrete in the process. Although other large trees also fell, none struck the buildings.

“Honestly right now, I’m still in shock,” he said.

Help offered as Overgaard Baptist Church assesses damage

He returned to the church around 3 a.m. after a false fire alarm during the power outage. Utility workers were still outside, shining lights toward power poles as they worked through the night.

Woods thanked the utility crews and first responders for their efforts, as well as those offering help.

“I love the way this community rallies together and comes together,” he said.

Woods said he was in contact with churches across Arizona and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, which he said would come to help the broader community, not just his congregation.

Residents of Heber-Overgaard grapple with aftermath of potential tornado

Heber-Overgaard is located about 144 miles northeast of Phoenix in northeastern Arizona, along State Route 260 between Payson and Show Low.

One person was injured during the Wednesday storm, which tore through the area, overturned RVs and damaged an estimated 20 to 30 buildings. A shelter was opened for displaced residents.

A resident named Kevin Smith asked KTAR News 92.3 FM reporter Balin Overstolz-McNair for a ride to his RV; when they arrived, they found it toppled, leaving him homeless.

The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed whether a tornado caused the damage, pending a survey of the area.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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