Nothing remained where her sister’s home once stood. No furniture, clothes, or kitchen dishes. Anna Wiebe and her husband, Ryan, stood in silence as they stared at the expanse of water that now consumed the family’s property. Neither knew what to say. “I was numb and in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that this was happening,”…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Packers Go From Devastation to Celebration
She peered through a busted window into the church basement and saw that floodwaters from Hurricane Helene had left a muddy mess. The Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift items that First Baptist Church of Damascus, Virginia, had collected during the year were now wet and filthy. Jaz, age 11, saw something that gave her hope—a…
Crisis & Disaster Response
God’s Goodness on Display
The gentle stream that runs along Chris Christenbury’s property in Vilas, North Carolina, turned into a raging torrent when Hurricane Helene swept through the area in September 2024. It engulfed his home and made it unlivable. “The chaos that ensues after a disaster like this is unmanageable by the people that it’s happening to,” Chris…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Water Filtration Systems Deployed to the Asheville Area
Samaritan’s Purse is once again expanding relief efforts in western North Carolina with the deployment of community water filtration systems to the town of Swannanoa and other hard-hit areas. Designed by a Samaritan’s Purse team of engineers, each water system can provide up to 50,000 liters of clean water daily—enough for 10,000 people. These units…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Finding Joy in Jesus After the Storm
Winds roared through Scott’s quiet neighborhood in the heart of Valdosta, Georgia, as Hurricane Helene pushed north past Florida and into the Peach State. In the dark night sky, the towering pines overhead crashed down onto his house, bursting through the ceiling as he and his wife, Terri, huddled in the bathroom. “If you look…
Crisis & Disaster Response
An Orange Wave of Help Arrives for Swannanoa
Steve struggled to keep his pickup truck driving straight on a road he couldn’t see. When the evacuation alert had sounded just minutes earlier, he had woken his 15-year-old son Aiden, and the pair had dashed out of their house. Now they were fighting to find safety as the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene swallowed…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Donald Trump Jr. and Senator Ted Budd See Samaritan’s Purse Relief Efforts
Samaritan’s Purse COO Edward Graham was joined by Donald Trump Jr. and U.S. Senator Ted Budd on Monday, Oct. 14, as they witnessed the devastation Hurricane Helene brought to North Carolina. They were flown by helicopter to Yancey County, which is included among the areas receiving emergency relief from Samaritan’s Purse. We continue to bring…
Media
Media Resources
Press Kits Press Releases Fact Sheets & Bios Photos B-roll PSA Graphics Operation Christmas Child Media Resources Media Requests Press Kits Southeastern Winter Storm Response Full Press Kit Press Releases B-roll Photos Hurricane Helene Response Full Press Kit Press Releases Fact Sheets B-roll Photos Press Releases Apr. 17, 2026 Samaritan's Purse Airlifts Emergency Relief Supplies…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Volunteers Help Lift Heavy Burden for Hurricane-Hit Couple
Justin and Amy Parlier had been awake nearly the entire night because of the rain and storms from Hurricane Helene that hit the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. They tried to get some sleep early Friday morning but received a call from Amy’s son that a tree had fallen and destroyed one of their…
