A TV weatherman has gone viral after he prayed on air while reporting on the deadly tornado that left 26 people dead in Mississippi and Alabama, including a father and a baby.
Matt Laubhan, a weatherman at local news channel WTVA, was providing live updates of the tornado when he realised the weather system was heading towards a small town in the border with the state of Alabama.
“This is a bad one,” he said. “A worst-case scenario”. He then bends down on a table and lets out a heavy sigh.
"Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen," Laubhan said after a pause.
Laubhan’s spontaneous prayer has been praised online with many thanking him for his “care” and “compassion”.
One Twitter user said: “I’m not a religious man but I am a spiritual one. Your prayers for those people in the path of the tornado were heartfelt. It must have been difficult to continue to do your job knowing the devastating impact headed their way. Kudos to you Sir.”
Another one said: “It is rare that we hear the true, compassionate heart of a fellow human being on a tv program. I am grateful for this moment of unconditional love being expressed.”
On Sunday, Joe Biden declared a state of emergency meaning federal funding has been made available to the areas hardest hit by the storm.
It devastated several rural towns, with Rolling Fork in the western Sharkey County almost completely wiped out.
Rescue efforts have begun in both the Mississippi and Alabama state but there are fears of more severe weather incoming.