RushingHelp and HopeWorldwide

After a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador, the DC-8 made its inaugural journey to airlift an emergency field hospital along with key medical staff to Ecuador. In the days following the earthquake, the DC-8 made five trips—continuing to deliver critical supplies.

After a tragic bus accident in northern Tanzania killed 35 people, three children were the sole survivors—left with life-threatening injuries. The Samaritan's Purse DC-8 transported the children to the United States where they received critical medical care.

In the months following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the DC-8 made 44 round trips from North Carolina to the Caribbean—airlifting more than 1,000 tons of emergency relief supplies to islands including Puerto Rico, St. Martin, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Samaritan's Purse airlifted more than 70 tons of critical relief supplies, including an emergency field hospital, to Mozambique after Cyclone Idai created widespread devastation—killing hundreds, flooding thousands of homes and leaving some 400,000 people displaced. Medical teams treated more than 5,700 patients and disaster response specialists aided thousands of families through the distribution of food, emergency shelter materials, water filtration units and blankets.

As northern Italy quickly became a global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, Samaritan's Purse airlifted more than 38 tons of medical relief supplies, including an Emergency Field Hospital, to Cremona, Italy. In partnership with Cremona Hospital, Samaritan's Purse medical staff treated 280 patients at the 68-bed respiratory care unit.

Samaritan's Purse airlifted more than 120 tons of critical relief supplies on four DC-8 flights to northern Ethiopia after months of internal conflict left millions of families without access to basic necessities. Teams of disaster response specialists distributed the supplies—including supplemental food kits, emergency shelter material, and cooking and hygiene kits—while providing medical care through two mobile medical units.

After a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti leveling towns and killing more than 1,000 residents, we airlifted Emergency Field Hospitals, water filtration, food, and shelter materials, along with medical and relief teams, to the city of Les Cayes where we provided medical and surgical care along with critical relief to the region.

Over the course of a year, from early 2022 until the winter of 2023, the DC-8 completed 42 airlifts to assist the people of war-torn Ukraine. We airlifted Emergency Field Hospitals, medical teams, and relief specialists to assist more than 23,000 patients and provide medical and other relief--such as food, water, and shelter materials--to more than 8 million Ukrainians.

Our DC-8 cargo jet airlifted a volunteer team and 17 tons of relief supplies from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Maui, Hawaii, on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Among many other items onboard were solar lights, cooking kits, hygiene kits, and plastic tarp to provide immediate relief to survivors of the deadly wildfires. The plane also carried tools and equipment that will help our volunteers sift through ashes to recover valuables and treasured mementos for devastated homeowners.

As more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh seeking safety in Armenia, Samaritan’s Purse delivered more than 53 tons of critical aid aboard our DC-8 to support these displaced people. Our staff gave out blankets, hygiene kits, solar lights, and more to grateful families. At the same time, our teams of doctors, nurses, and physical therapists treated burn victims with severe injuries from a gas explosion. All of this work was bolstered by partnerships with 42 local churches who helped in the distribution of relief supplies.

We airlifted nearly 90 tons of supplies on two DC-8 flights and two 757 flights to Mexico where Hurricane Otis devastated coastal Guerrero state near the popular resort town of Acapulco. Supplies included food, water filtration systems, roof tarping, cooking supplies, and Spanish language Bibles. We assisted thousands of hurting families and served in Jesus' Name through faithful local church partners.