“The storm was just supposed to be rain for two days. It was not supposed to be a big deal,” shared homeowner Russ Clinkenbeard. “It was so surprising how fast it happened.” Some eight to ten inches of water burst into his home as he tended to his 2-year-old son while his wife was at…
Volunteers Eager to Serve After Pearl River Floods in Mississippi
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…
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
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
One Year Later: Still at Work Helping Mayfield Rebuild
A year ago this month, musician Ricky Scaggs was singing Christmas songs from the stage of a local Mayfield, Kentucky, school where Franklin Graham joined Samaritan’s Purse staff, volunteers, and many grieving residents for a Christmas Eve meal. Our teams had started serving in the area on Dec. 14, 2021, to help help hurting residents…
Building Up Selma
“Nobody ever told us it was coming,” Lewis Sharpe, 49, said, referring to the powerful EF2 tornado that ripped through historic Selma, Alabama, on Jan. 12, 2023. The twister destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and other structures. “When the tornado warning came on, it was already on the ground. People were hollering and screaming.…
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…
Media
Press Release Samaritan’s Purse Airlifts Supplies to Hawaii
Samaritan's Purse Airlifts Supplies to Hawaii International Christian Relief Organization Sends Tools, Equipment, and Other Items to Help Families Devastated by Wildfires BOONE, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023—Today, Samaritan's Purse airlifted 17 tons of emergency relief equipment, tools, and several volunteers to Hawaii on its DC-8 cargo plane in the wake of the deadly wildfires that…
Picking Up the Pieces After Oregon Fires
“Evacuate now!” Around 3 p.m. on September 8, Stephen MacAuley was playing the piano in his Phoenix, Oregon, townhouse when he saw a police car drive by and heard an officer announce the emergency warning through a bullhorn. Stephen knew wildfires had been reported in the area, but he never thought they would reach his…
