Edward Graham, COO of Samaritan's Purse, was on hand to congratulate new homeowners and dedicate their houses to God's glory.
While Hurricane Helene was bearing down on the Southeast, dozens of families in Kentucky were moving on from the disasters that they survived over the past three years.
Staff and volunteers gather for prayer after a home dedication.
On Thursday, Samaritan’s Purse completed construction in New Hope Acres, a 60-acre subdivision in the town of Mayfield, Kentucky, which was devastated by a tornado just before Christmas in 2021. The 60th house was presented to Jason Vanden Brook, a disabled veteran who served with the Marines in Operation Desert Storm.
Edward Graham, chief operating officer of Samaritan’s Purse, recalled visiting Mayfield the day after the tornado, and wondering how the city would ever recover from the immense devastation. Then on Christmas Day, hundreds of volunteers went to work cleaning up the damage. “We wanted the people of Mayfield to know they are not forgotten, and not forsaken,” Graham said. “We want them to know, ‘God loves Mayfield and the people here.’”
Mayfield is one of the westernmost cities in Kentucky. The day before, Graham had been on the other end of the state, in mountainous Breathitt County, to dedicate another neighborhood of 14 new houses for families who survived one flood after another. When Graham visited a flooded home in the summer of 2022, he directed our team to find higher ground where families can live without fear of floods.
The result is a new neighborhood called “Emmanuel Ridge,” 14 homes that overlook the town of Jackson, the North Fork of the Kentucky River, and its dangerous flood-prone creeks. The floods of July 2022 took 38 lives. Emmanuel, of course, means “God With Us.”
The new neighborhood includes a retired pastor (whose home and church were washed away in 2022), several grandmothers, and families with young children. One of the new residents is Martha Allen, who has been living in a flood-damaged trailer where she cares for her bedridden aunt, 91.
A homeowner expresses gratitude during dedication of his new home built by Samaritan’s Purse.
Gladys Manns lost all her belongings in the flood, and then her son (who was helping to repair her trailer) died in an auto accident six months after the flood. She’s been living recently in the damaged trailer, but she was ready to move immediately into her new house, which came with basic furnishings, beds with sheets, and appliances. Even the refrigerator was stocked with bottled water. “All I need is my microwave,” she said.
Many of the residents described their new homes as a blessing, but Gladys went further. “There’s a difference between blessings and a miracle,” she said. “I’ve been blessed before in many ways. But this is a miracle—to get a brand-new house. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Breathitt County has 13,000 residents, and Jackson is the county seat. Jackson Mayor Laura Thomas said the rocky ridge has been sitting vacant for more than 50 years, and she was proud and excited to see the new neighborhood emerge. She expressed thanks for the efficiency and thoroughness of Samaritan’s Purse construction crews.
Each homeowner receives a “Paid in Full” statement reminding beneficiaries that Jesus Christ is the reason for our work.
Samaritan’s Purse is not finished in Kentucky. Another neighborhood is under construction for victims of floods in Knotts County. They Mayfield project includes additional houses outside New Hope Acres where Samaritan’s Purse rebuilt houses on private lots.
In Mayfield, Vanden Griff thanked everyone who had helped put him into his home. He praised a local group called Camp Graves, which serves veterans and helped provide him with temporary housing since the tornado. He has been unable to work since suffering a stroke resulting from surgery for a war wound. He also acknowledged volunteers who came from all over the country, moved with compassion by the Christmas tragedy of three years ago. “It’s our fellow Americans coming together,” he said.
He was emotional as Samaritan’s Purse staff presented him with a journal, a photo album, and a signed Bible, which he proudly showed off. “We still have people in need here,” he said. “It’s a new house for me, but for our community, it shows we can do more and do better.”
Each new house in Mayfield includes a tornado shelter, a reinforced bathroom where families can find protection if another tornado sweeps through.
Please pray for these brand-new homeowners in Kentucky as they embrace this fresh start.
Family members embrace after receiving the keys to their new home.
