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…
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…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Volunteers Hard At Work in West Virginia After Catastrophic Floods
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are hard at work in West Virginia, after torrential rainfall triggered devastating flash floods in the state’s northern panhandle. A state of emergency was declared for Ohio County, where homes were flooded and bridges were washed away as local creeks rose to dangerous levels in a matter of minutes. At least seven…
50 Years of Ministry
Deploying Military Couples to the Frontlines of Disasters
At the 2019 Operation Heal Our Patriots Reunion in Dallas, Texas, we invited military couples to join our U.S. Disaster Relief efforts as part of our new Team Patriot project. Since the first Team Patriot teams deployed in August of last year, Samaritan’s Purse has sent more than 100 individuals to serve again on the…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Responding to New Mexico Wildfires
U.S Disaster Relief teams are now in Central New Mexico where multiple wildfires have consumed over 25,000 acres and, sadly, left two people dead. We are focusing our efforts on the town of Ruidoso, located between the Salt and South Fork fires. The latter alone has devastated 17,000 acres and 1,400 structures, over half of…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Finding Relief—and Family—in the Wake of Texas’s Wintry Mess
As Austin, Texas, resident Netsi Akalu opened the door to her home of ten years, several inches of water poured from the ceiling. With it, came a flood of emotions. “I saw that the water was coming from the ceiling, the living room, my bedroom, and my baby’s bedroom,” Netsi said. “Two and a half…
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.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
This Kentucky Homeowner Isn’t Giving Up After the Flood
A couple hours passed one morning and Melissa Bryant found herself homeless. The floodwaters came suddenly and showed little mercy to her community in Breathitt County, eastern Kentucky. Her trailer home and everything in it, except for one small air-conditioning unit, was completely destroyed in the deluge. “The water was coming in so fast. It…
