Instead of heading to the beach in shorts and flip-flops, University of Connecticut students spent their spring break in Waynesville, North Carolina, donning work clothes and orange U.S. Disaster Relief T-shirts. They were rebuilding a home damaged by Hurricane Helene. “I wanted to do something that was productive and that was contributing to the Kingdom…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Rebuilding in Tennessee
Samaritan’s Purse has started rebuilding homes that were lost to Hurricane Helene, including one for Kim Mitchum in Mountain City, Tennessee. The September 2024 storm flooded Mitchum’s home—damaging her belongings and leaving her with a black mold infestation that could not be stopped. When our U.S. Disaster Relief teams came to her aid with the…
Lifted High After the Flood
Daniel and Marcia Shull watched the rain fall for days before Hurricane Helene struck their community in Boone, North Carolina, in October 2024. When the storm passed through, floodwaters rose several feet inside their home. They eventually evacuated, and when they returned, they found a home that was unlivable. While sheltering in a nearby hotel,…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Tapping into the Power of Serving
Gracie O’Loughlin regularly witnesses groups working shoulder-to-shoulder for a common purpose as part of her role with Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse that shares the Gospel with children around the world through outreach events and shoebox gifts. When she and several colleagues recently volunteered with U.S. Disaster Relief, another project of Samaritan’s…
Our Ministry
Samaritan’s Purse Sends Disaster Response Teams to Alabama After Deadly Tornadoes (Press Release)
BOONE, N.C., March 4, 2019—Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization, has deployed staff, volunteers and a tractor-trailer stocked with tools and supplies to tornado-ravaged Alabama. The powerful storm spawned multiple twisters, killing at least 23 people and leveling entire neighborhoods. It is one of the deadliest storms to strike Alabama in years. The North…
Through Faithful Volunteers, God Delivers Hope to Arkansas
In the early days of her retirement, Sarah Rutland was wondering what to do with the rest of her life. So, she did what many retirees do—she went to Florida. But not for the reasons you’d expect. Hurricane Michael had just roared through the Panhandle and she wanted to help. So instead of picking up…
Our Ministry
Disaster Relief Landing Page
Providing Disaster Relief in Jesus' Name Where Most Needed Where Most Needed - 012000 $ Give We Help Disaster Victims Around the World Samaritan's Purse stands ready to respond at a moment's notice when disaster strikes, whether at home or abroad. Natural disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. Tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, wildfires, and other disasters don’t…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Helping a Pastor Who Lost Nearly Everything in Hurricane Helene
Pastor Charles English was at home with one of his daughters when Ivy Creek became a torrent of boulders, trees, and exploding propane tanks—common elements for most stories about Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through the mountains. Charles and his wife, Sadie, have lived five decades in Barnardsville, North Carolina, along a normally idyllic branch of…
Hurricane Michael: Contact Information for Homeowners
Thousands of homeowners are suffering in the wake of Hurricane Michael. Samaritan’s Purse has established two bases of operation in Florida. We will be serving those in need for some time to come. Please contact us and our church partners with the information listed below if you would like to request assistance. We are praying…
Hurricane Helene Survivor Praises God for Abundant Blessings
The water continued to rise and Sherri Hughes panicked. She was visiting her sister when they suddenly noticed that the floor was wet. Before long, it was soaked. “When we looked out the door, we saw nothing but water. I thought we were gonna die,” she said. She could see across the street to her…
