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
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
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Serves in Little Rock
UPDATE: April 7 Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and some of her staff members volunteered today with Samaritan’s Purse in Little Rock, Arkansas. Parts of the state capital were devastated by an EF4 tornado late on March 31, and the cleanup continues. Our volunteer teams have been working since the morning of April 3 to tarp…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Responds to Storms in Marked Tree, Arkansas
The Marked Tree community recently sustained substantial tree and debris damage, and many are still without power with temperatures expected to reach triple digits. Samaritan’s Purse has deployed a disaster relief unit—a tractor-trailer filled with relief equipment and supplies—and will field volunteer teams to help homeowners with cutting fallen trees and debris removal. First Baptist…
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.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Franklin Graham Dedicates New Mobile Homes in Mississippi
Josh Hatcher and his two children were determined to move forward in their new place—a mobile home in Aberdeen, Mississippi—after fire destroyed their original house in February. But about a month later, on March 24, a powerful twister wrapped their latest home around a large oak tree. Their belongings were scattered across a field and…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Tornado Survivors Grateful for God’s Protection
Coella and Manley Tate hid in the bathtub as a tornado hit their Bertie County home of more than 20 years. They prayed for God’s protection and said ‘I love you’ for what they believed would be the last time. The EF-3 tornado ravaged their home at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 4. Though a similar…
