Samaritan’s Purse is deploying staff and disaster response vehicles to serve hard-hit areas. Volunteers will be needed soon to help us extend the love of Christ to hurting homeowners.
A U.S. Disaster Relief team is en route to Pikeville, Kentucky, to provide assistance in the wake of last weekend’s catastrophic flooding that claimed over a dozen lives. Roughly half a foot of rain deluged many places, causing rivers to overflow and homes to flood. Thousands of people lost power and hundreds have been forced to find refuge in temporary shelters. Over 1,000 rescues have saved people from the floodwaters, but now, a record number of roads are closed.
To further complicate matters, a winter storm is forecasted for the area with an expected four to six inches of snow. Officials have asked for generators, heaters, and other winter supplies, which our team is currently working with local church partners to fulfill.
Disasater Relief Unit #6 left Samaritan’s Purse warehouse in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, this morning en route for flooded areas of Kentucky and West Virginia.
Disaster Relief Unit #6, a tractor-trailer stocked with tools and supplies, left Samaritan’s Purse warehouse in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, this morning to serve both Pike County, Kentucky, and nearby Mingo County, West Virginia. Our base of operations is First Baptist Church, 126 Fourth Street, Pikeville, Kentucky 41501.
Volunteers will be needed in the coming days to help us remove waterlogged belongings and debris as well as spray for mold prevention in affected in homes. Both day and overnight volunteers are welcome to begin arriving as early as February 22 at 7:30 a.m. Check spvolunteer.org for more information.
Please pray for devastated residents and the churches who are seeking to serve them as this region is suffering from yet another disaster. Floods also tore apart eastern Kentucky in 2021 and 2022. Samaritan’s Purse responded to Breathitt and Floyd Counties during these disasters, serving over 600 families with critical relief. We praise God that 119 people accepted Jesus as their Savior through these efforts. From 2022-2024, our volunteers also completed a rebuild program in Breathitt County that served 66 families, with 14 of the homes being constructed from the ground up and two people coming to faith in Christ.
