Franklin Graham
Newsletter November 2024
Franklin Graham Update | November Franklin Graham Update | November A MASSIVE AIRLIFT & AN ARMY OF ORANGE RUSH TO THE FRONTLINES Dear Friend, In the weeks following Hurricane Helene, the "whomp-whomp-whomp" of helicopters echoed across the mountains of western North Carolina, reassuring desperate survivors that help and hope were on the way. Four National Guard Chinooks, three ex-Army Blackhawks, and several private…
Crisis & Disaster Response
President Donald Trump and Franklin Graham Meet Hurricane Survivors in North Carolina
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…
Health & Medical Ministries
Meeting Our Neighbors’ Needs in Western North Carolina
Marco did not need to say anything—the instant smile that burst across his face when he put on his new glasses let everyone know he was overjoyed. Although he’d suffered with poor vision for years, Marco had never been able to afford a visit to the eye doctor. His first opportunity for an eye exam…
Media
Edward Graham Photos
Edward Graham These photographs are available for news media outlet use in coverage of Samaritan's Purse-related stories. If your news outlet uses a photograph, please credit: "Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse." These photographs are not for commercial use. Jamaica 2025 Children in Jamaica spend time with Samaritan’s Purse COO while he visits with their families and hears…
Helping the Hurricane-Ravaged Florida Coast
Diane Pangburn had lived under a roof of blue tarp and damaged shingles since Hurricane Ian tore across her Florida community in 2022. When Hurricane Milton roared ashore in early October, it shredded that covering and torrential rain was channeled into her home. Milton, following so closely after Hurricane Helene, left many areas underwater. Bewildered…
Franklin Graham
Newsletter February 2025
Franklin Graham Update | February Franklin Graham Update | February Rising From the Mud and Ashes Dear Friend, Samaritan's Purse had the honor of hosting Donald Trump on his first trip as the 47th president, when he and his wife, Melania, came to North Carolina to encourage survivors of Hurricane Helene and see what the new administration can do to accelerate the recovery. It's…
Two Marias, One Almighty God
Separated by only 15 miles in the mountains of North Carolina, Maria Sixtos and Maria Chavez have both suffered in Helene’s wake—not only when the historic hurricane hit the area six months ago, but every moment since. For Maria Chavez, a stay-at-home mom, the storm’s damage to the family’s septic system created a daily nightmare…
Crisis & Disaster Response
A Workshop of Faith and Hope
Walter Lewis barely missed one great flood in Boone, North Carolina. That was 85 years ago—about five years before he was born. He did not escape a second great storm, Hurricane Helene, which hit late last year. More than eight decades ago, the 1940 flood triggered more than 2,000 landslides and caused 16 deaths. It’s…
Blue Ridge Resident Moves Into New Home
Joe Sherwood had never experienced a disaster like Hurricane Helene, which ripped up his hometown of Vilas, North Carolina –a small town tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The powerful storm left the home he had built over five decades earlier in ruins. What began as a peaceful morning playing checkers on his iPad…
Seeing the Valleys from the Mountaintop
A little over a year after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, hope is being rebuilt one home at a time. Samaritan’s Purse Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham stood atop the mountain where Vanessa Bowens had played as a child, praying one day she’d live in a home looking down over the…
