Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief teams are responding after at least one tornado touched down northeast of New Orleans.
Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers are providing relief in Slidell, Louisiana, after an April 10 EF2 twister struck the community and surrounding eastern St. Tammany Parish with winds up to 140 mph.
Our Disaster Relief Unit #5 packed full of chain saws, rakes, wheelbarrows, and other tools to aid in cleanup left our Southwest Ministry Center in Coppell, Texas, on April 11 for the Bayou State, and has been supplying the more than 45 volunteers on the ground with critically needed resources.
Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief volunteers are hard at work cleaning up downed trees from the April 10 twister that hit Slidell, Louisiana.
Teams are seeing properties transformed as they remove downed trees and debris, and in the process, we praise God that they are also seeing spiritual fruit. At the beginning of the workday on her property, one homeowner initially resisted when invited to join the team in prayer. Still, the volunteers cleaned things up around her home all day long, taking time to invest in the family along the way. When the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains arrived that afternoon, the homeowner shared that she believed her good works would get her into Heaven. The chaplains, in turn, told her about salvation only coming through the blood of Christ. After some long conversations, this woman surrendered her heart to the Lord! She is just one of eight to receive the Lord so far in this response.
After working to clean up a property, teams of Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers are joined by Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains to present a Bible to homeowner in Slidell, Louisiana.
Volunteers continue to be needed for ministry opportunities like these. We are basing our operations out of First Baptist Church Slidell in Slidell, Louisiana.
Please pray for the many people affected by this storm. Hurricane Katrina is still fresh in the memories of many homeowners. “This area still has the residual trauma of that hurricane, and it can be felt throughout the community,” said Program Manager Jacob Rutz. “We pray that the Lord may use our volunteers and our teams to show His love and His peace to all those they interact with.”
Also Responding in North Carolina
A day after the twister tore through Slidell, an EF1 tornado also touched down in Wilkes County, North Carolina. On the ground for about a two-mile stretch, it destroyed homes, churches, and businesses in its path with winds up to 110 mph.
Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham visits Wilkes County, North Carolina, to encourage volunteers, including those in Team Patriot, a U.S. Disaster Relief unit made up of Operation Heal Our Patriots participants.
Teams of staff and volunteers are hard at work removing debris in this area. We praise God that two people in Wilkes County have accepted Christ during this response!
VOLUNTEER IN NORTH CAROLINA
This article was originally published April 11 and was updated April 17.
