Tornado destroys Arkansas home after touching photo of doctor, infant son goes viral

A tornado that tore through northeast Arkansas on Saturday destroyed the home of a family featured in a viral photo only days before.

The twister hit Jonesboro around 5 p.m., leaving six people with minor injuries and a number of buildings damaged, NBC reported.

Jonesboro is roughly two hours northeast of Little Rock.

One such building was the home of Alyssa and Dr. Jared Burks. Alyssa shared on Facebook that their house was “gone” after the tornado ripped through town.

Just days before, Alyssa Burks had posted a photo of her husband and their infant son Zeke looking at each other through a glass door at the family’s home.

“Look who we finally got to see today!” the post said. “Not going to pretend that I didn’t bawl like a baby when he left to go back to work. We miss him, but we are doing what we have to do.”

Jared Burks hadn’t seen his family in two weeks when the photo was taken, according to KATV. He’s a doctor who often works in the emergency room and the family had decided to quarantine apart from each other to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Through the glass, Jared Burks saw his 1-year-old son crawl for the first time, according to the outlet.

“As soon as he saw his dad he just raced to the door,” Alyssa Burks told KATV. “He got up on the glass because I think he wanted him to hold him, so it was sad, it was cute, but it was really heartbreaking because it’s hard.”

The photo received national attention and has been shared more than 48,000 times as of Sunday. The family received well-wishes from Facebook users across the world.

“May God bless him and protect him while he perform such a humble service,” one user wrote.

“That made me cry.....” wrote another. “We can’t be more grateful for his help....stay safe and keep you little baby laughing.....”

Saturday night, Alyssa Burks shared a heartbreaking update — their home had been destroyed by the tornado. Jared Burks was inside when the storm hit.

“We are all safe,” the post said. “Our house is gone. Jared was inside, but he survived by the grace of God. Zeke and I were at my mom’s house. Please pray for us as we begin to pick up the pieces.”

A family friend set up a GoFundMe account for the family “so that they can find another place to live, collect their items, rebuild, all while Jared is working and fighting for those who health may be compromised.”

Donations have far exceeded the $2,500 goal, with donors raising more than $30,000 as of Sunday morning.

Donors offered words of support to the family.

“We are all in this together! Thank you for your selfless service!” one donor wrote.

“Any health professional or professional caregiver should be supported by all of us, all around the world....” wrote another.

“This situation stinks,” wrote a third.