Roland counted 15 dead bodies floating in the water the day after Hurricane Dorian finally released the Abaco Islands from its deadly grip. The storm completely flattened every home in Roland’s neighborhood. “Nothing is here. I have no place to live. I have no job,” he said. The restaurant where Roland worked is gone. The…
Media
Mexico Response Photos
Mexico Response 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. Acapulco, Mexico, 2023 Samaritan’s Purse is responding in Acapulco, Mexico by distributing food, water, and other life-saving aid in…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Love Arrives After the Storm
Among the ruined items Michael Dixon pulled out of his dresser—soaked certificates, destroyed books, precious photos—he discovered a small keychain. Holding it up to the sunlight streaming through his window, a smile crept onto his face. “Sevierville. 1991. Howard’s restaurant. Our honeymoon,” he said, gazing at the two-inch photo of him and his wife, Nancy,…
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
Emergency Field Hospital Opened in Jamaica in Wake of Hurricane Melissa
The Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospital has opened and is receiving patients in the southwest corner of the country in the flattened coastal town of Black River, Jamaica. Four total airlifts so far have brought 100 tons of relief to the island. For all future updates, visit our response page. Follow Our Ongoing Jamaica Response…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Starts Five-Site Response to Hurricane Helene
For the latest information, please go to our Hurricane Helene overview page. — Samaritan’s Purse is responding in five locations across four states after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast. Helene tore through western North Carolina, dumping extreme rainfall—more than 2 feet in some areas—and causing terrible flash flooding. Some parts of the region…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Relief Arriving in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Fiona
Update for Sept. 23: Samaritan’s Purse is responding in Puerto Rico where Hurricane Fiona hit Sept. 17-18 as a Category 1 storm, tearing through the southern and western parts of the island. We airlifted over 16 tons of emergency relief supplies to Puerto Rico on Thursday, Sept. 22. Materials included 2,200 shelter tarps; two community…
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…
