Hurricane Dorian hovered over the northern Bahamas in September 2019 and destroyed the very fabric of life. Homes and their precious contents were lost in the storm—the remnants scattered in debris across the islands. “You have to have a home—that’s the foundation of family,” said Robinson Weatherford, pastor of International Gospel Mission in Marsh Harbour,…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Continues Work in the Devastated Bahamas
Roland counted 15 dead bodies floating in the water the day after Hurricane Dorian finally released the Abaco Islands from its deadly grip. The storm completely flattened every home in Roland’s neighborhood. “Nothing is here. I have no place to live. I have no job,” he said. The restaurant where Roland worked is gone. The…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Airlifting Hurricane Relief to Acapulco
UPDATE (Nov. 6): Over the past two days, Samaritan’s Purse has distributed more than a ton of food to nearly 12,000 hurricane survivors. Parcels including rice, beans, tuna, and chicken breast have been sent out into the community through local church partners who are ministering to the storm victims in Jesus’ Name. In addition, our…
Crisis & Disaster Response
‘Water Is Gold in the Bahamas’
When Hurricane Dorian tore through Freeport, Grand Bahama, in September 2019, a massive storm surge swept seawater inland about two miles and into many of the wells on the island. “The entire water table has been compromised. It’s still quite salty,” said Pastor Keith Russell of First Baptist Church six months after Dorian devastated the…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Franklin Graham Sees Ongoing Recovery Work in the Bahamas
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham met Jan. 17 with local officials in the Bahamas as well as several families helped by relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. In our initial response to Hurricane Dorian, Samaritan’s Purse distributed over 360 metric tons of emergency relief supplies and provided more than 1 million liters of…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Relief Arriving in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Fiona
Update for Sept. 23: Samaritan’s Purse is responding in Puerto Rico where Hurricane Fiona hit Sept. 17-18 as a Category 1 storm, tearing through the southern and western parts of the island. We airlifted over 16 tons of emergency relief supplies to Puerto Rico on Thursday, Sept. 22. Materials included 2,200 shelter tarps; two community…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Distributing Emergency Relief Items in the Abacos
The most terrifying moment for Rosie Meadows during Hurricane Dorian’s relentless thrashing wasn’t when glass exploded from the windows or when the sea churned to such heights that she thought a funnel cloud of ocean water was headed straight for her door. For Rosie, fear overwhelmed her when she heard the children crying and screaming.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Cissie Graham Lynch Encourages Bahamians Recovering After Hurricane Dorian
In the wake of Hurricane Dorian’s devastation, Cissie Graham Lynch and her husband Corey traveled to the Bahamas on Sept. 13 to see the work of Samaritan’s Purse on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. The Lynches met with patients at our Emergency Field Hospital where medical teams have helped alleviate the strain on regional…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Delivering Hope to Acapulco
“I walked into the end of the world. That’s what it felt like. I was just paralyzed,” Pastor Hassan Villegas of Acapulco said. “Hope was drained out of me. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to start.” Pastor Villegas is one of the hundreds of thousands of residents who survived the Oct. 25 storm,…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Helping After Hurricane Ian
Overview Photos Videos Help Victims of Hurricane Ian U.S. Disaster Relief 013622 $ Give Samaritan’s Purse has three Disaster Relief Units in Florida—Fort Myers, Englewood, and Punta Gorda—where volunteers are helping hurting homeowners in Jesus' Name. Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28, delivering 150-mph winds, heavy rain, and a…
