SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE RESPONSES When Jeremy and Kristy Kulberg saw on social media that people in their flooded New Bern, North Carolina, neighborhood were being rescued from rooftops, their hearts sank. That could only mean that their own house was under at least five feet of water. Jeremy and Kristy had…
‘It’s Unbelievable What You’ve Done for Us’
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE When John Whitfield got word that a TV station in New Bern, N.C.—just one block from his home—was evacuating its staff because of flooding due to Hurricane Florence, he rushed over to investigate. John is a captain with the sheriff’s office in Craven County, and he…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Orange and Blue Army Gathers for Crisis and Disaster Response Training
For the first time ever, Samaritan’s Purse North American Ministries volunteers and Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains gathered together for a special conference, Sharing Hope in Jesus’ Name. More than 1,200 people participated in the event, which was held in Orlando from April 25-28. Attendees learned how to help people facing crisis and grief,…
Franklin Graham
Newsletter October 2024
Franklin Graham Update | October Franklin Graham Update | October Helping Helene Victims, Ready to Respond in Florida Dear Friend, Hurricane Helene will go down in history as one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the United States mainland. Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton reached Category 5. As I write this, Milton is threatening the West Coast of Florida—already battered by Helene—and…
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
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…
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
Volunteers Serve a Carolina Family Mourning Terrible Loss
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,”…
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Providing a Pipeline for a Community’s New Start
The small fishing village of Sweetings Cay on the eastern end of Grand Bahama island was told to evacuate quickly as Hurricane Dorian tore a path toward them in early September 2019. Dorian had grown into a violent Category 5 storm. The hurricane ripped buildings from their foundations and swept people and belongings out to…
God’s Blessings in Hendersonville
Nearly four months have passed since Nancy Velazquez experienced the unimaginable—a deadly and catastrophic hurricane in the mountains. Nancy was away from her home the September morning that Hurricane Helene caused deadly flooding that swept through her community in Hendersonville, North Carolina. When she finally returned to her neighborhood, disbelief overcame her. She’d lost nearly…
