Tornadoes and the Sovereignty of God

John Piper recently ignited a media firestorm when he stated that the tornadoes that devastated rural America were from the hand of God (read it here). Going beyond the statements that some have come to look for from Pat Robertson (viz a viz natural disasters are to be interpreted as God's judgment upon sinful people), Piper concludes that tornadoes and their ilk are also God's judgment upon His people.  However, he cautions against absolute statements like those of Robertson when he acknowledges that finite understanding cannot fathom the infinite purposes of God.  In other words, Piper's conclusion is that the tornadoes are from God, but we ought to be careful making dogmatic claims as to His reasoning for them.

Piper's words are not popular out there in the world, but he must be commended for his consistency--he believes in the supreme sovereignty of God.  So what do you think?  Did God give the command for these tornadoes to devastate these communities?  How would you answer someone who had just lost their family, home, and livelihood to a tornado and asked you if God's hand was behind these terrible disasters?