Josie Howard uses a wheelchair, has had two hip replacements, and lost much of her motion to rheumatoid arthritis.

Her singing voice, however, is capable of taking on a tornado.

Howard, 76, a former gospel performer and recording artist, instinctively began singing as she and other residents huddled in a hallway at Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive, while a tornado swept through Lawrence earlier this month.

“That’s what I do when the weather gets bad or anything starts to upset me,” she said. “Whenever something comes in my mind, I just take off.”

As sirens wailed outside, she started singing “This Little Light of Mine.” She sang “Jesus Loves Me,” “In the Garden,” “He’s an Understanding God,” and other songs she used to perform during concerts decades ago with the five-member Imperial Singers.

Soon, a few other residents and employees were singing with her.

“We sang a little bit of everything,” said Howard, who lives on a rehabilitation wing. “We even did, ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.’ We figured we don’t get around much because of our wheelchairs.”

A few minutes later, the tornado had passed — leaving a trail of damage less than a mile away.

“We didn’t realize the storm was as bad as it was because we were entertaining ourselves,” she said.

Barbara Friend, a certified medication aide, said Howard’s singing seemed to come “out of the blue.”

“No reason in particular,” Friend said. “When Josie started singing, it really broke the tension. It made everybody feel a little more comfortable.”

Howard, a lifelong Lawrence resident, said she didn’t remember the exact years the Imperial Singers were together but estimated it was about 20 years ago. She said they used to give regular concerts at St. Luke AME Church, 900 N.Y., and performed as far away as Illinois.

¢ More stories, video reports on the tornado

“I’m the only one left,” she said. “All the others are passed.”

Her nephew, Lawrence resident William Newman, said he was touched but not surprised to hear about Howard’s impromptu performance.

“That sounds like my aunt,” he said.