Samaritan’s Purse mounted a massive, multi-level response and delivered tons of emergency food and supplies after a fierce 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The impact was catastrophic for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. About 250,000 people were killed, and more than a million Haitians were left homeless. Our medical and…
Press Release Deploys Disaster Relief Unit to Aid Gulf Coast 8-27-2020
‘The Happiest Day of My Life’
Leticia Jaimes wiped away tears as she walked through her new home for the first time. She paused in the living room, overwhelmed, and fell into the embrace of her mother, Elena. Mother and daughter hugged and cried together, knowing that this day would mark the beginning of many new family memories. “For years, we…
Samaritan’s Purse Responding to Severe Flooding in Lake Charles
Updated: May 21 with video on May 23 Samaritan’s Purse has deployed to Lake Charles, Louisiana, after torrential rain caused serious flooding across the southern part of the state. As much as 12.5 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in Lake Charles, where people are still recovering from two hurricanes (Delta and Laura) that…
Franklin Graham in Florida to Encourage Homeowners and Volunteers
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham traveled to Lee County, Florida, on Thursday, Oct. 6, where Hurricane Ian took dead aim last week and pummeled the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 storm. More than 100 people were killed, and at least hundreds of homes were either ripped apart or flooded. One resident described it…
College Students Volunteer, Help Florida Widow
When Thelma Reynolds, 87, returned to her home after Hurricane Ian ripped through her North Port, Florida, neighborhood, she was shocked by what she discovered—her house was in shambles. “We were on what they call the ‘dirty side’ of the storm, which rotated counterclockwise, and it just sat here for several hours,” she said. “It…
Florida Man Rescued Just in Time
As Hurricane Idalia barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief specialists prepositioned two Disaster Relief Units full of supplies in Georgia. The Category 3 hurricane soon made landfall on Wednesday morning, Aug. 30, near Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend region with 125-mph winds and a record storm surge. The team prayed…
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…
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…
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,”…