Samaritan’s Purse responds to Hurricane Helene

The storm left a path of destruction across the Southeast, from the beaches to the mountains.

Samaritan’s Purse is operating at five locations after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast.

In Floridawhere the storm made landfall along the Big Bend with winds of 140 mph, we set up a base to assist injured homeowners in and around the location City of Perry. Helene arrived there late on September 27 at Category 4 strength, making it the strongest storm to hit the area on record. Our base in Perry is Calvary Baptist Church. We are also responding on a larger scale Tampa, Florida, where thousands of homes were flooded. At this point we are supported by our Canadian partner office.

Homes in Florida and throughout the Southeast were flooded, wind damaged and torn off their foundations by Hurricane Helene.

Although the storm weakened to a tropical storm, Helene later barreled through Georgia and the Carolinas, causing extreme rainfall and flash flooding. We have set up a base in Valdosta, Georgia, at our partner church, Morningside Baptist Church.

We also answer in Highlands in northwestern North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Boone, North Carolina – home to Samaritan’s Purse’s international headquarters – and much of the surrounding communities were particularly hard hit by downed trees, flash flooding, road damage and lack of power and water. Our base church there for the highlands is Alliance Bible Fellowship. We also support area hospitals. We have already set up a two-tent unit in the Watauga County Medical Center parking lot to provide oxygen to patients who do not have power at home.

Finally, southwest of Boone, rivers raged beyond their banks, causing destruction across the land Asheville, North Carolina, Area. We will respond there as our fifth Helene location.

Helene hit the southern Appalachians with wind and heavy rain.

via Facebook, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said: “Samaritan’s Purse helps with storms and crises around the world every day, but now the storm has hit our own backyard. Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and surrounding areas, as well as Georgia and Florida. Houses have been flooded and some have even been washed away, trees have fallen and tens of thousands are still without power. We would be grateful for your prayers for everyone impacted by this storm.”

Samaritan’s Purse U.S. disaster relief teams are on scene in hard-hit places today. We will be working with local churches to soon set up volunteer teams to help distressed homeowners in the name of Jesus. Volunteers are helping clean up homes, felling trees, covering roofs and removing debris to help families cope with this situation.

Sign up as a volunteer

Day and overnight volunteers can begin September 30 in Perry, Valdosta and Highlands. More information about our locations in the greater Tampa and Asheville areas will be released soon. For more details on all of our responses and how you can get involved, visit spvolunteer.org. Please prayerfully consider serving as many volunteers are needed to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to help the hurting.

The size of Hurricane Helene, one of the largest Gulf storms documented in the last century, was truly remarkable, with a wind field hundreds of kilometers across – which partly explains the geographical extent of the damage it caused.

Please pray for all communities in the path of this powerful storm as they recover and as we respond in affected areas. Dozens of storm-related deaths were reported; Please also include the affected families in your prayers.

SUPPORT

US disaster relief Samaritan’s Purse mobilizes and equips thousands of people Disaster relief Volunteers provide emergency assistance to victims of wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters in the United States. After severe storms, we often stay behind to rebuild homes for people who can’t find help anywhere else.

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US Disaster Assistance 013622

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