April 21, 2011

Evidence of Love

Volunteers working with Samaritan’s Purse are bringing comfort to people affected by storms across North Carolina

Issa Salman vividly remembers the terrifying moment when the tornado roared through her community.

“It took less than a minute for our neighborhood to be shredded,” he said. “It is only the hand of God that none of our neighbors were killed.”

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A series of violent tornadoes ripped through Raleigh and across the heart of North Carolina last weekend. The storms leveled or damaged hundreds of homes, demolished a trailer park, plucked trees out of the earth, and left more than 84,000 people without power.

Samaritan’s Purse responded to the disaster by sending staff and equipment to three of the hardest hit areas. More than 400 volunteers in Bertie, Cumberland, and Wake counties are ministering to the storm victims by cleaning up debris and making emergency repairs on houses.

“The jobs we have are huge, and the teams are pouring their hearts into it,” said Luther Harrison, Director of North American Projects, and leader of our efforts in Bertie County.

One of our Disaster Relief Units is operating out of Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church, near Issa’s neighborhood in Raleigh.

The tornado hit literally in the church's backyard. It's a scene of complete devastation. Trees several feet in diameter were uprooted and tossed onto roads and lawns. Homeowners said they were terrified hearing the roar of the storm and seeing their walls blow in. Some were sure they were going to die. There were four deaths, including at least one child.

A couple of the families on this street had to be rescued from their crumbled homes after the storm. Their neighbors pulled them out through broken windows.

We have received more than 70 requests for help in Raleigh, almost all of them within a four-mile radius, including one from Issa.

“We have no family here,” he said. “To have all of these volunteers come out to show us this incredible love has really touched us deeply. You have treated us like family. As far as we're concerned, you will always be our family."

Volunteers from around the country are donating their time and efforts for just that reason.

“As we put tarps on damaged homes yesterday, it brought me joy to think that we were wrapping gifts of God's love to these precious people,” Mimi Brummitt said.

The tornadoes were part of the deadliest spring storms in the state in two decades. The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management has reported 80 were injured by the storms in Bertie, Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Lee, and Wake counties. Hardest hit was rural Bertie County, where 11 of North Carolina's 22 deaths were reported and 67 of 130 homes across the state were destroyed.

North Carolina normally gets about 19 tornadoes a year, according to the National Climatic Data Center. This storm spun off at least 62 tornadoes Saturday night.

The Samaritan’s Purse international headquarters is located in the western part of the state, about 200 miles from the affected area.

“We work all over the world responding to disasters, but sometimes some of the most difficult places are within a few miles of home,” said Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham. “Our prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones and to those affected by the storm. We'll be doing all we can to help.”

As they work, our volunteers are showing families that God has not forgotten them.

“There is no greater feeling than when you realize that someone is seeing the love of Christ in what you're doing,” Will Warren said. “I'll never forget a man I met while serving with Samaritan's Purse. He was living in a travel trailer that had been flooded. We worked through the day to make repairs and clean and salvage whatever we could. We invited him to have dinner with us at the church that night. After the meal, he stood up and said, ‘I'm not rich, and I don't have a fancy education. I don't know how to say what I'm feeling inside right now. I just wish I could take my heart out of my chest and let you hold it. Then you would feel how heavy it is with thankfulness and love for you.’

I think about him all of the time. It reminds me that God is using our efforts right now in Raleigh to fill the hearts of homeowners with His love and peace.”