May 20, 2011

Helping Tornado Victims

Samaritan’s Purse teams are helping victims of the deadly twisters that ripped through the state

Over 1,000 devastated homeowners are receiving physical aid and spiritual comfort from a host of volunteers serving with Samaritan's Purse in tornado-ravaged neighborhoods surrounding Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.

Since the twisters struck Alabama on April 27, more than 8,200 volunteers have shared God's love with residents by helping them salvage valuable possessions, removing fallen trees and debris, and making emergency repairs.

Our teams make it clear they are helping in the Name of Jesus Christ by praying with homeowners and presenting them with a special study Bible when the work is completed. This compassionate outreach provides tangible evidence that God hasn’t forgotten the storm victims.

READ MORE: Storm victims in Alabama know they are not forgotten as they receive help from Samaritan's Purse volunteers.

Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham has requested prayer for the victims of the storm and for the people working to help them.

"We’re coming into communities, going to homeowners and asking how we can help them,” said Graham as he walked through shattered neighborhoods in Tuscaloosa. “We want to minister to them, to love them. Pray for our volunteers, that we would be the hands and the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that as we go into these communities that we would be able to love people, pray with people, and let people know that God loves them and God has not forgotten them.”

Severe storms wreaked havoc across the Southeast on April 25-28, spawning tornadoes that wiped out thousands of homes and businesses. More than 350 people were killed in seven states, including at least 245 in Alabama, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. since 1925.

Samaritan’s Purse responded by deploying two Disaster Relief Units, tractor-trailers loaded with emergency equipment and supplies, to serve as command posts for staff and volunteers in Alabama. One unit is based at Garywood Assembly of God in Bessemer, about 12 miles southwest of Birmingham, and the other is located at First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa.

READ MORE: An Alabama tornado victim credits God for keeping her safe, and for the help she received from Samaritan's Purse.

“We have been privileged to partner with one of the greatest organizations on the earth, Samaritan's Purse,” said Gil McKee, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Tuscaloosa. “It has been heart-warming to see everyone come together to help with this in any way that they can. People in our city who have lost everything are being ministered to, and hope is being restored.”