Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground near Jackson, Mississippi, providing relief to families who are struggling after the Pearl River recently flooded. Volunteers from across the U.S. are helping families clear their property of debris, remove waterlogged drywall and insulation, and salvage any personal belongings that may have survived the floodwaters. Inspired to serve in…
Samaritan’s Purse Work Rolls on in Alabama
The Jan. 12 storm system that shook 79-year-old Annie Pearl Avery’s home spawned dozens of deadly tornadoes that tore off roofs and uprooted trees across the Southeast. Numerous communities and hundreds of homes were left in shambles. Annie said surviving the EF-2 tornado that ripped through her Selma, Alabama, neighborhood was a terrifying experience. “Glass…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Team Patriot Veterans Bless Tornado-Devastated Tennessee
Christy Autry described the dark early morning hours in her Nashville neighborhood after power was knocked out by a March 3 tornado: flashlight beams and people wandering and shouting for loved ones. And, of course, no one slept. When the sun rose, she could finally see the devastation caused by a powerful twister that struck…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Demolitions Help Homeowners in Tennessee
In tornado-hit Clarksville, Samaritan’s Purse is helping homeowners with demolitions, a service that can save them money as they start to rebuild. One Tennessee homeowner grateful to receive this work is William R. “Rip” Van Winkle, a more than 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army. Rip rode out the tornado that tore through Clarksville buried…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Volunteers Serving in Storm-Battered Mississippi
Under a cloudless blue sky in Soso, Mississippi, Samaritan’s Purse volunteer Randy Graves crawled over and under downed pine trees searching for valuables. At the request of the homeowners, Graves and other volunteers carefully sorted through strewn belongings. They were on the hunt for photo albums, Bibles, jewelry, and a valuable collection of coins. They…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Responding to Deadly Tennessee Tornado
Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers are at work in McNairy County, Tennessee, where an EF3 tornado touched down on April 3 and killed five people. McNairy County, located two hours east of Memphis, endured 160 mph winds, which destroyed more than 100 houses and damaged over 200 others. Our Disaster Relief Unit #6—a tractor-trailer loaded…
Crisis & Disaster Response
A New Home and Strengthened Faith
Instantly, Jacqueline Crump lost everything. A series of more than 30 tornadoes ripped through much of central Mississippi near the end of March, leveling homes and taking 26 lives. Jacqueline’s home in Amory stood helplessly in the way of one of these powerful twisters, an EF3 category tornado with wind speeds upwards of 135 mph.…
50 Years of Ministry
Rebuilding in Hooper Bay
The 2006 fire that blazed through most of Hooper Bay, Alaska, started in a school and then burned down homes and buildings as wind swept the flames across the community. Dozens of families were left homeless, and the harsh Alaska winter was only weeks away. “We only had two months left in the year that…
Maui Residents Returning to New Homes in Lahaina
Almost two years ago, Carol Santos watched her home go up in flames as August 2023 wildfires raged through the paradise of Lahaina, an idyllic and historic Hawaiian town on the island of Maui. She and her family were forced to evacuate, and in just a matter of minutes the wind-driven flames consumed everything they…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Edward Graham Comforts Tornado Survivors in St. Louis
Edward Graham, COO of Samaritan’s Purse, was in St. Louis, Missouri, this week to encourage and pray with homeowners reeling from the EF3 tornado that tore through the area last Friday. Graham shared hope from Scripture with each family, and encouraged them to cling to Jesus during these trying times. “As I drive around St.…
