Dan Hatcher and his family watched the Harpeth River overflow its banks and start flooding their neighborhood in the Nashville suburb of Bellevue. The Hatchers began a frantic effort to move furniture, clothing, and belongings to the second floor.

Water crept up the driveway and into the garage, then overwhelmed the first floor of the house.

“It was like a horror movie,” Dan said. “It literally came out of the vents and started spreading across the floor.”

Dan evacuated his wife and three children, then went back to the house with a friend. Inches of water quickly turned into feet until it finally drove Dan and his friend out the front door, where a neighbor pulled up in a boat to rescue them. “Get in!” the neighbor said. “Right now!”



“When we left I could see the water moving across the top half of my windows inside the house,” Dan said.

Two days later, the Hatchers and other families returned to their homes and faced the monumental task of clean-up and repair. Like most people in the area, the Hatchers did not have flood insurance. When a team of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers arrived to help, it was an answer to prayer.

Samaritan’s Purse has set up two Disaster Relief Units in the Nashville area. Crews specialize in cleaning out mud-soaked houses so that they can be repaired. More than 130 people have requested help so far, and 50 volunteers have helped us complete 17 jobs.

As we work, we help families cope with their losses and offer them hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“We are amazingly impressed with the response of Samaritan’s Purse,” Dan said. “They came in and did a lot of prep work that will make it easier for us to begin the reconstruction process.”

Samaritan’s Purse recruits Christian volunteers from the community and across the nation.

“Another thing I was impressed with was the diversity of the people I saw working with Samaritan’s Purse,” Dan said. “We had black, white, Hispanic—the melting pot poured into my home. When you can do that as an outreach for Christ, it speaks volumes.

“We can never repay the debt, but that’s a familiar position for Christians because Christ poured it out and gave it all. Samaritan’s Purse does the very same thing, and we are very grateful for it. We are remarkably thankful and impressed with God’s people in action.”

Teams of Rapid Response chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association are also on hand to help our crews provide comfort and spiritual support for flood victims. The combined witness of the chaplains and the disaster relief volunteers helps strengthen the faith of believers and open doors for sharing the Gospel.

“We are firm believers in Christ,” Dan said. “We are being purified in the Refiner’s fire right now, but we’re going to get through, stronger and with a deeper faith in Christ.”

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

PRAY:

For the residents of Tennessee affected by the storm, and for God to direct our team to those most in need of help.

GIVE:

To help us respond whenever disaster strikes in the United States,
please visit our donation page.

GET INVOLVED:

Volunteers are needed to help with this response. Click here and choose “Nashville, TN - Flood Relief" to sign up.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Location: Nashville, TN.
Length of Stay: There is no required length of stay for this response.
Maximum Team Size:15 people.
Skills Needed: We are looking for volunteer teams and individuals to assist with debris clean up in response to flooding that occurred after heavy rainfall hit the Nashville area. There are no specific skills required for this response, though volunteers will need to be able to do manual labor.
Minimum Age: Volunteers must be at least 14. There may be special restrictions for youth under 18. Please contact our office for more information.
Additional Information: This site is open to individuals and teams. Meals and sleeping quarters will be provided. Volunteers from the local area also welcome. Volunteers need to bring an air mattress or cot, sleeping bag or sheets, towels, and personal hygiene items. Volunteers will need to provide their own transportation as well as haul their own tools.

Samaritan's Purse , United States , DR Extranet , U.S. Disaster Relief , “God’s People in Action”