Samaritan’s Purse is providing vehicles, campers, and homes in Jesus' Name across Helene-devastated North Carolina.
Nearly four months have passed since Nancy Velazquez experienced the unimaginable—a deadly and catastrophic hurricane in the mountains.
Nancy was away from her home the September morning that Hurricane Helene caused deadly flooding that swept through her community in Hendersonville, North Carolina. When she finally returned to her neighborhood, disbelief overcame her. She’d lost nearly everything she owned in minutes.
“I saw my life…just completely gone,” she said.
This included her only vehicle, a 2014 Chevrolet. It was more than just a car. It was her only way of visiting her brother, who is battling stage four cancer, and his young son, who both live an hour away.
Nancy said that the storm made her realize the “abundance of blessings” she has in her life, such as Samaritan’s Purse and her new vehicle.
On a cold but sunny January morning, joined by a team from Samaritan’s Purse, Nancy fumbled with nervous excitement as she stuck the key in the ignition of a new car.
“I have so much joy because the good Lord provided this for me,” Nancy told our staff as her new Toyota Corolla cranked to life. “I had so much going on this last year, and I wondered if I was going to survive it, but I just handed it over to God and He made it happen.”
Joy and Hope Rekindled
Nancy is one of several residents in the region whose vehicles were replaced by Samaritan’s Purse as part of our Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Our staff gathered around Nancy to pray with her and gift her with a special Billy Graham Study Bible.
“Just like this car, eternal life—salvation—is a free gift if we receive Jesus Christ by faith in our heart,” said John Freyler, a chaplain with Samaritan’s Purse.
The DeMatteo family were part of the gathering as well to receive a new car. The family recalled the terror from the day the storm hit.
“It’s not goodbye, but it might be goodbye” is what Sheila DeMatteo told her mother on the phone as water gushed up through the floorboards and air vents of their home.
Sheila (left), Rich (center-left), and Chris (right) thank God for sparing their lives during Hurricane Helene, and hope to bless others with their new vehicle.
Sheila, Rich, and their son Chris had already tried to escape, but it was too late: cars and debris rushed down their quiet street in Bat Cave, North Carolina. Mudslides slammed the backside of their house as the hillside gave way. With no route out and with water inching up their bodies, the three held hands, said ‘I love you,’ and prayed a prayer of desperation.
“And then, gradually, the water started to recede,” Sheila said with teary eyes and a smile. “And it continued to go down over the next couple of hours as we just stood there holding hands.”
Rich and Sheila, both longtime prison guards, didn’t panic that day because they knew who heard their prayers. “I knew God wanted us here,” Rich said. “God will have His will done, either way.”
Though grateful their lives were spared, the recent months have weighed heavily on the DeMatteos. They’ve been hopping between hotels after their home was deemed uninhabitable. They’d lost nearly all their belongings, including the vehicle shared by the three of them.
“It’s really special,” Rich said of their new vehicle. “Nobody’s ever done anything like this before.”
A New Camper and A Restored Faith
In addition to vehicles, Samaritan’s Purse is providing homeowners with new campers for a place to live after losing homes.
“You restored my faith. You absolutely restored my faith,” said Cindy Thompson, a resident of Hendersonville and one of more than a dozen homeowners provided with campers this week.
Cindy’s old trailer crumbled when floodwaters came barreling down the mountainside behind her property. After months living in a hotel, Cindy can now return to the property she has called home for 35 years. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Cindy marveled at her new camper the minute it arrived on her property.
“God has always cared for me,” Cindy said between sniffles. “I’m going to be so happy here. You’re not going to believe it.”
Samaritan’s Purse continues to respond to needs across nine counties in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee in Helene’s wake. Beyond providing cars and mobile homes to families, Samaritan’s Purse is constructing hundreds of new, stick-built homes. Please continue to pray for our response and for new opportunities to minister in this region for the years to come.
Pray for our teams as they help many families recover from Helene.
