SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE Mary Kerns wasn’t taking any chances. The last time, almost 20 years ago, a major hurricane threatened her hometown, she ended up being rescued out of waist-deep water in her home. So, a week ago, when Hurricane Florence roared into Jacksonville, Mary packed some clothes and…
Relief Efforts Expand to South Carolina; Work Continues on Tar Heel Coast
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE As Samaritan’s Purse continues to assist homeowners in three different cities in North Carolina following Hurricane Florence, we are responding to calls for help in South Carolina. Staff and a disaster relief unit—a tractor trailer filled with equipment and supplies—have been sent to Horry County, where…
As Our Work Continues, a Fourth Airlift Carries Teams, Supplies to Caribbean
In our ongoing and expanding relief efforts in four Caribbean locations, multiple DC-8 airlifts to Carriacou and Jamaica have carried in relief and medical supplies and personnel. We praise God for how He continues to work through our staff and partner churches to bring hope to hurting communities and remind Caribbean islanders that they are…
An ‘Angel’ Returns Home
When Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle in 2018, entire communities were demolished and hundreds of families were displaced from their homes by the Category 5 storm. Tina Belcher, lovingly referred to as “Miss Angel” by those in her community, was one of many struggling to recover in the ensuing chaos. For more than 30…
‘It Was a Wicked Storm’
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE MICHAEL RESPONSE Twenty miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the town of Wewahitchka, Florida, is usually safe from hurricanes. Residents have seen many storms lose strength as they approach the coast. But Hurricane Michael was like no other storm they have ever seen. It suddenly strengthened into a…
Crisis & Disaster Response
College Students Serve Jacksonville Family Suffering After Hurricane Florence
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE Glass shards were sprinkled across the floor, the furniture was wet, and nearly all the toys and clothes were molded and ruined. Ceiling insultation had spilled out across the room with such force that “it looked like snow. White was everywhere,” said Leah Summers. “I can’t…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Many Hands Lift the Burden for Residents Recovering from Hurricane Florence
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR OUR HURRICANE FLORENCE RESPONSE Billy Connelly has lived in New Bern, on the North Carolina coast, for the past 16 years and has weathered several hurricanes from his home. But Florence was different. Though the storm came ashore as only a Category 1 hurricane—its winds reduced to 90 miles per…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Hurricane Dorian Roundup: Field Hospital Opens, Relief Distributions Ongoing in the Bahamas
Please see a new story on relief sent to the Abacos and another new article on our Emergency Field Hospital in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Please continue regularly visiting samaritanspurse.org for future articles on our Hurricane Dorian response. Our Dorian landing page is also a great resource featuring videos and a slide show. The article below…
Crisis & Disaster Response
‘Water Is Gold in the Bahamas’
When Hurricane Dorian tore through Freeport, Grand Bahama, in September 2019, a massive storm surge swept seawater inland about two miles and into many of the wells on the island. “The entire water table has been compromised. It’s still quite salty,” said Pastor Keith Russell of First Baptist Church six months after Dorian devastated the…
Mending Homes and Hearts in Storm-Weary Louisiana
The streets of Lake Charles, Louisiana, were filled with destruction and silence in the 24 hours after Hurricane Laura made landfall. Families who fled the storm were terrified to return home and those who stayed were in a state of shock, their homes ripped apart or ambushed by falling trees. “Following a disaster, you usually…
