The president of the United States saw our continued Hurricane Helene relief efforts in North Carolina alongside Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham on Friday, Jan. 24.
Only days after his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, President Donald Trump accompanied Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham on Friday to Buncombe County, North Carolina, to see our ongoing Hurricane Helene relief efforts. President Trump and Graham visited homeowners in the hard-hit area, assessing needs and sharing words of encouragement as the long road to recovery continues.
“We’ll be by your side every step of the rebuilding and no American is going to be left behind,” President Trump said to local residents gathered in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Friday.
“We’ve come to North Carolina with a simple message for all the people of this region who were hit so hard by Hurricane Helene,” President Trump said to a crowd of local residents, “and that message is very simple: You are not forgotten any longer.”
The president and Graham heard many harrowing storm stories from homeowners during their visit. One recounted wading through waist-deep floodwaters, another saw houses and cars flow through their yard as they desperately escaped.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Friday to see our ongoing Hurricane Helene relief efforts and hear from local homeowners.
“It’s a great honor to be here with these people today that have suffered so much, and we thank God that He’s given us the resources to be able to help,” Graham said. “This is my backyard. I grew up about eight miles or so from here, and I went to high school right down the road. This is home to me.”
Hope After the Storm
Chris and Kimberly West represent one of the thousands of families who lost everything when Helene roared through the mountains of North Carolina in late September. Their home on the banks of the Swannanoa River stood no chance as the gentle flow intensified into a torrent, barreling through their brick house and filling it with two feet of mud.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Kimberly West recalled. She waded through the floodwaters to higher ground, only grabbing a few things as her house filled with water. “We lost everything.”
Not long after, over 50 Samaritan’s Purse volunteers arrived at their property to help the Wests recover. They removed soiled belongings, salvaged valuables, cut downed trees, and mudded out the home to the studs, all the while sharing God’s love with the weary family.
Chris West (left) grew up in the house that was lost during Hurricane Helene, and he and his wife, Kim (center), raised their son Andrew (right) there as well.
President Trump and Graham stood on the hurricane-wrecked property, and provided the Wests with much-needed solace. For the past few months, the family had struggled to find warm and comfortable shelter, much less a new house to live in. But, before he left, Graham made sure to give the family a message guaranteed to lift their hopes.
“We are going to rebuild it,” Graham said about the Wests’ ruined house behind them. “Right after the storm, the president sent money to Samaritan’s Purse, and we are going to use some of his money to build their house.”
“Samaritan’s Purse has been awesome,” Kimberly West said. “We were hopeless—I didn’t know what I was going to do from one day to the other—but now we know that we’re going to have a future…We’re very grateful.”
Rebuilding Homes and Restoring Lives
After mobilizing an unprecedented response across four states to meet the immediate needs of thousands of hurting homeowners in Hurricane Helene’s wake, Samaritan’s Purse is now kickstarting a long-term rebuild program in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee to rebuild the homes of families who lost everything—like the Wests.
Samaritan’s Purse is constructing hundreds of new, stick-built homes for families whose houses were left uninhabitable due to the storm. We also are replacing hundreds of mobile homes. In addition, across an even wider area, we are providing campers, vehicles, and other important items to many families who are facing the bitter winter months in need.
Graham visited with multiple families while in Swannanoa, sharing God’s hope and love during these difficult times.
“We’re just so thankful and we give God the glory that He’s allowed us to be in a position to help,” Graham said, “and of course we always do it in Jesus’ Name.”
As Samaritan’s Purse helps to rebuild in North Carolina and Tennessee, please continue to pray for our response and for new opportunities to minister in this region for years to come.
