Alabama woman returns to faith after surviving rare winter tornado: 'God kept me alive'

Sharon Watson with Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis at an event Monday night. Watson's home was destroyed by a rare winter tornado that ravaged the town. (Sharon Watson)

Sharon Watson rarely went to church and didn't consider herself religious. But the Wetumpka, Alabama woman said she now believes in God after surviving a rare winter tornado that ravaged her town.

Watson and her Chihuahua, Spook, hunkered down on her bedroom floor on Jan. 20 as winds ripped off the roof of her house. Watson could feel glass flying around her before she blacked out.

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“I didn’t have time to pray,” Watson told The Wetumpka Herald. “I’m not a religious person. I believe in a higher power. I know there’s a God now. God kept me alive. I am definitely finding a church somewhere.”

Sharon Watson was comforted by her community and her newfound faith after surviving a tornado in Wetumpka, Alabama (Sharon Watson)

After the power went out, Watson said she followed a blue light to her bedroom, where she safely weathered the storm. She believes it was an angel guiding her to safety in the midst of the violent storm.

Local officials said the EF2 twister damaged or destroyed 25 homes in Alabama.

Watson, who happens to be a big fan of "Wizard Oz," said it felt like she was living in Dorothy's shoes, wondering if her house would be torn away. Thankfully for her, it was just the roof.

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Watson told Fox News she is still overwhelmed, but so thankful.

"God showed me He was watching over me when it happened," she said, adding on Facebook: "God bless Wetumpka. God bless you all."

Sharon Watson said her 17-year-old neighbor, Jashay Kendrick, was the first person who found her after the tornado. (Sharon Watson)

The first person to find Watson was her 17-year-old neighbor, Jashay Kendrick, whom she calls her No. 1 angel.

Her family and friends set up a GoFundMe to help her recover and relocate, but the Ohio native has no plans to leave her new town or her newfound faith.

Moments after surviving the tornado, Watson looked up at the sky and saw a rainbow. That's when she began to realize that God had protected her, she said.

Sharon Watson said the rainbow she saw after the tornado was a sign that God had protected her. (Sharon Watson)

On Sunday, she went to Faith Baptist Church in Wetumpka and sang "Thank You, Lord, For Your Blessings." Watson said even though she lost her car, home, and other belongings, she still had God. She said she repaid Him by recently helping a homeless woman and connecting her to local churches.

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"I know this is a way God is showing me one way to repay for all our blessings," she said.