Samaritan’s Purse is providing aid and support in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene | News

The storm left a path of devastation throughout the Southeast, from the coast of Florida to the mountains of North Carolina.

Samaritan’s Purse is responding in 5 areas throughout 4 states after Hurricane Helene devastated elements of the Southeast.

President Donald Trump and Franklin Graham have been in Valdosta, Georgia, as we speak and noticed devastation from Hurricane Helene. Samaritan’s Purse is at work there and President Trump mentioned, “We’ve seen you at many different sites over the years, and you do a fantastic job!”

Helene tore by western North Carolina, dumping excessive rainfall—greater than 2 toes in some areas—and inflicting horrible flash flooding. Some elements of the area are in ruins. We are providing reduction in the mountains of Watauga County, North Carolina—house to Samaritan’s Purse worldwide headquarters in the city of Boone. The city and surrounding communities have been notably hard-hit with toppled bushes, flooding, highway harm, and an absence of energy and water. This response extends to incorporate neighboring counties in North Carolina (Ashe, Avery) and japanese Tennessee (Johnson), and our church base is Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone.

Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are serving to in Watauga County, North Carolina.

Southwest of Boone, rivers additionally raged outdoors their banks inflicting widespread destruction in the Asheville, North Carolina, space. Long stretches of interstate artery I-40 are shut down, after sections washed out. Our response there is targeted on Buncombe County, which incorporates Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat, and Swannanoa. Our base is the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove.

Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham mentioned on Facebook, “Samaritan’s Purse responds to help with storms and crises around the world every day, but now the storm has hit in our own backyard. Hurricane Helene slammed western North Carolina and the surrounding area, as well as Georgia and Florida. Homes have been flooded and some even washed away, trees are down, tens of thousands are still without power. We would be grateful for your prayers for all those affected by this storm.”

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Samaritan’s Purse is additionally responding to some of the many medical wants in western North Carolina. We have deployed a 20-bed Emergency Field Hospital—designed as an emergency room triage unit—at Cannon Memorial Hospital in the city of Linville (Avery County). The facility, requested by the Appalachian Regional Health System/UNC Health System, is staffed by our Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) medical personnel. Search-and-rescue groups are scouring Avery County and count on an inflow of injured folks. We are additionally providing oxygen at completely different areas to support those that have energy at house.

We airlifted meals and water to a school in a North Carolina group remoted by flooding.

Many communities in the High Country of North Carolina and far japanese Tennessee are minimize off by broken roads, downed bushes, and flooding. Samaritan’s Purse is coordinating air reduction to some of these areas—delivering fundamental requirements to these in dire straits utilizing our personal helicopter in addition to the plane of different organizations. We are working by numerous native contacts, together with our Operation Christmas Child accomplice church buildings, to establish those that are struggling and then to reply as requested. We reward God now we have been in a position to ship a lot meals, water, and different reduction to these remoted by the storm.

A U.S. Disaster Relief truck arrives at accomplice church in North Carolina.

Samaritan’s Purse additionally has two U.S. Disaster Relief bases in Florida and one in Georgia. We have one response web site in Perry, Florida, the place the storm made landfall with 140-mph winds alongside the Big Bend. Helene hit there late on Sept. 26 at Category 4 energy, making it the strongest storm to hit the space in recorded historical past. Our Perry base is at Calvary Baptist Church. We are additionally responding in higher Tampa, Florida, the place hundreds of properties have been flooded. At this web site, we're being supported by our Canadian affiliate workplace. Our base is Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg in Pinellas Park.

South Georgia additionally acquired slammed, and now we have arrange a base in Valdosta at our accomplice congregation, Morningside Baptist Church.

We are serving the Buncombe County space from the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove.

Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief workers members are on the floor in all 5 areas. We are partnering with native church buildings to discipline groups who're serving to hurting owners in Jesus’ Name. Volunteers are aiding to mud out properties, minimize downed bushes, tarp roofs, and take away particles to assist households get by this historic disaster.

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

Day and in a single day volunteers began Sept. 30 in all areas. You can discover extra particulars about all our responses and how one can volunteer at spvolunteer.org. Please prayerfully think about serving as many volunteers might be wanted to function the palms and toes of Jesus Christ to assist the hurting.

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On the first day of volunteering in Valdosta, our groups helped Mariah Mitchell, 80, a retired kindergarten trainer of 37 years. She mentioned, “I’ve never seen something this bad in all my days. Real bad.” She prayed Psalm 91 over her house throughout the storm, and mentioned she was not afraid as a result of she knew the Lord was together with her. A tree fell on her house, and Samaritan’s Purse is clearing it from her roof and tarping the gap each from inside and outdoors.

About our volunteers, she had this to say: “They’ve been really, really blessing me. The Lord sent them, because I need them. He knew I needed them.” She added, “Ya’ll came a long way to help me, and I don’t take it for granted.”

A Samaritan’s Purse workers member prays with Mariah whereas volunteers work on her broken house.

The measurement of Hurricane Helene, one of the greatest Gulf storms documented over the previous century, was really exceptional, with a wind discipline measuring tons of of miles throughout—in half explaining the geographic breadth of the harm it triggered.

Please pray for all communities alongside the path of this huge storm as they get better and as we reply to affected areas. More than 160 storm-related deaths have been reported with many individuals nonetheless lacking; please maintain affected households in your prayers as effectively. This is the second deadliest storm to hit the mainland United States over the previous 50 years.

Note: This story was initially revealed on Sept. 26 and has been revised constantly. It is correct by Oct. 2.

SUPPORT

U.S. Disaster Relief A present to U.S. Disaster Relief equips us to answer catastrophes like Hurricane Helene and different pure disasters in our nation. Samaritan's Purse mobilizes and equips hundreds of volunteers to offer emergency reduction to survivors of floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes. Wherever we go, we convey consolation and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the aftermath of main storms, we frequently keep behind to rebuild homes for folks with nowhere else to show for assist.

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