The organizations led by Rev. Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association spent considerable time in Valdosta, Georgia, earlier this week alongside former President Donald Trump to help with relief efforts from Hurricane Helene’s impact.
As the death toll extends well over one hundred, with many more likely dead, and infrastructure has been crippled, the organizations have stepped in to provide much-needed relief. Reportedly, Samaritan’s Purse is responding in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
“This building behind us represents hundreds of thousands of people that have lost homes, businesses, friends, loved ones,” according to remarks from Rev. Franklin Graham on Monday. “It is going to take an army of volunteers and people to respond, and at Samaritan’s Purse we want to always respond in Jesus’ name. We want people to know that God loves them, that God cares for them.”
Graham added, “He added, “Sometimes when a storm like this comes, people think, ‘Well, maybe God is mad at us, maybe this is His judgment?’ No. God loves us. How do I know that? Because the Bible tells us that God loves us and cares for us.” The prominent evangelist continued, “Yes, there are storms in life, but God will take us through those storms if we put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Speaking with Newsmax, Graham noted that the county his father grew up in, Buncombe, County “has just been devastated. This is where I grew up, near my father’s home.” He further noted, “I’m without power, and so much of our state is without power up here in these mountains. And, and when you look at the damage, it’s, you just wonder how anybody survived. And yes, they’re, they estimate that the death toll could maybe climb as high as 1,000. I hope that’s not the case, but I think we’re getting ready for it just in case it is.”
“We’ve got our helicopter rescuing people, delivering food and water. Also, we set up an emergency field hospital in Banner Elk, North Carolina, the local hospital there. They needed an emergency room set up and so that’s what we’ve done,” Graham said, speaking about the current rescue efforts. However, far more resources are required to meet the demands.
Noting that the clean-up efforts will be long-term, he explained the need for more volunteers, stating, “We’re going to need volunteers for months to come.” Graham continued, “We need day volunteers. Volunteers who can come in for the day and work, and come back the next day. We don’t have housing for all these people, but we just certainly need people to show up and be willing to just pick up trash and mud out of homes, put a tarp on a roof. So much we can do.”
As many criticize the Biden-Harris administration for not providing sufficient relief to the devastated communities across the East Coast, Christian charitable organizations such as Samaratian’s Purse are stepping in to fill the void.
Featured image credit: By Paul M. Walsh – Billy and Franklin Graham, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4934708