When Hurricane Maria arrived on September 18, 2017, it destroyed almost all that Desmond had. “I was devastated. I cried for a whole day—I lost my greenhouse and a majority of my plants.” Desmond had learned the trade of floriculture from his grandmother and had been raising and selling flowers for more than 20 years…
Media
International Disaster Relief Photos
International Disaster Relief 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. Ukraine 2023 By partnering with local churches in Ukraine, Samaritan’s Purse distributed over 100 million pounds of food…
Media
Franklin Graham is Going to Fort Myers to Thank Volunteers and Encourage Homeowners
Franklin Graham is Going to Southwest Florida to Encourage People Devastated by Hurricane Ian and Thank Volunteers Serving on the Ground BOONE, N.C., Oct. 5, 2022—Samaritan’s Purse has mobilized an army of 550 volunteers—with 2,500 more on the way—to help homeowners in three areas that were devastated by Hurricane Ian—Fort Myers, Englewood, and Punta Gorda.…
She Never Knew There Was This Much Love
When Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm on September 28, it battered the Gulf Coast town of Fort Myers with 155-mph winds, catastrophic rainfall, and an epic surge of water. Vivian chose to ride out the storm with her 16-year-old daughter believing that, no matter how horrific the hurricane was,…
Media
Press Release Samaritan’s Purse Scales Up North Carolina Response, Opening Emergency Field Hospital and Launching Airlift Operations
Samaritan’s Purse Scales Up North Carolina Response, Opening Emergency Field Hospital and Launching Airlift Operations Additional Medical Support to Provide Surge Capacity as Search and Rescue Efforts Continue BOONE, N.C., Oct. 2, 2024—Samaritan’s Purse has begun emergency airlift operations in western North Carolina to help people who have been cut off from access to basic…
Our Ministry
Bring Relief When Disaster Hits Home
Responding to Hurricane Helene Volunteer Now Give Learn More Samaritan’s Purse immediately responded in Jesus' Name after Hurricane Helene left a 500-mile trail of devastation from the Gulf Coast of Florida to the mountains of North Carolina. We continue to help homeowners from three relief bases in western North Carolina, with work stretching into Tennessee.…
50 Years of Ministry
U.S. Disaster Relief Begins—and Keeps Growing
Volunteers in orange T-shirts running chainsaws and tarping roofs have become icons of the U.S. Disaster Relief projects of Samaritan’s Purse. Yet it took many years for this aspect of the ministry to develop. The first U.S. Disaster Relief Unit was a converted tractor-trailer that deployed for the first time in 1998 to help victims…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Louisiana Homeowner Grateful for God’s Grace
Cary Castile wasn’t expecting to be displaced for weeks when he evacuated from Louisiana to Texas ahead of Hurricane Laura in August 2020. And, when he did return to his Lake Charles home, he said the widespread devastation broke his heart. “Almost the entire city was damaged. The power lines were down. It was a…
Crisis & Disaster Response
‘God Is Looking After Me’
Some seven months ago, Samaritan’s Purse assisted homeowner Mel Williams and more than 900 other families following destruction from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Last week, deadly flooding swept through Lake Charles and our teams deployed once again to bring relief to hurting families in Louisiana. “We’ve had a pretty rough couple of months,” Mel explained.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Team Patriot Volunteers Help a Fellow Veteran in Louisiana
Residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, a working-class town of nearly 78,000 people, are weather weary. They have seen their city ravaged by two hurricanes, crippled by an ice storm, and inundated by floodwaters—all within the past nine months. First, Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm, roared into Lake Charles in late August. It was the…
