A barge carrying 400 tons of Samaritan’s Purse emergency relief supplies arrived in Haiti on Friday. An assortment of heavy equipment was also on board, including a bulldozer, dump trucks, skid loaders, and flatbed trucks to help with debris removal, access clearing, hauling, and other difficult tasks.

“One of the first things I want to do is help rebuild secure perimeters around churches to help them be established as distribution points for the community,” said Ken Isaacs, the vice president of projects for Samaritan’s Purse. “One of the first jobs we’ll tackle with the excavator is to help the church in Cite Soleil put their wall back up.”

The Christian Church of the Cities in Cite Soleil was the distribution point for 1,000 family relief packs on Friday. Troops with the 82nd Airborne provided security for the distribution and at the dock when the barge arrived. They also helped drive vehicles back to the Samaritan’s Purse base on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

“I haven’t seen a convoy like this since Iraq,” said Specialist Alex Russell, who was deployed to Iraq for 18 months before coming to Haiti. “That’s a lot of equipment.”

Samaritan’s Purse expects to continue relief efforts in Haiti for at least two years.

“We want to work closely with the military community,” Isaacs said. “We’ve received tremendous assistance from the 82nd Airborne. They’re familiar with the critical needs in their sector and we want to work with them to address those needs.”

Samaritan’s Purse workers are compiling a growing list of removal projects at churches, hospitals, schools, and other facilities that serve the community.

“We’re going to do what we can and we’re going to do it in the name of Christ,” Isaacs said. “I believe God is working. I see His hand everywhere.”

Samaritan's Purse , Haiti , Help for Haiti , The Next Wave