Our 767 aircraft has completed two trips to the Northern Mariana Islands loaded with tons of relief. Emergency supplies are being handed out. Our outpatient medical clinic is operational.
UPDATE (April 21): A second flight has departed North Carolina for Saipan with solar lights, generators, jerry cans, blankets, and shelter plastic. Relief supplies from our first airlift have already been distributed to hundreds of families. Our outpatient clinic and mobile medical teams are preparing to support local hospitals and provide care in remote locations.
“Typhoon Sinlaku left thousands of people in desperate need of emergency relief—many are without water and power, and it’s going to be this way for weeks to come.” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “That’s why Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting supplies and coming alongside the people of these remote islands in their time of need. We want the families in Saipan and Tinian to know they are not alone. God loves them, and they can turn to Him in their time of need.”
Our 767 departed our Greensboro Airlift Response Center in the early hours of April 18.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku slammed the Northern Mariana Islands April 14 with intense winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous storm surge. The powerful storm ripped roofs off houses and caused severe flooding. Some hard-hit areas of the archipelago’s two major islands—Saipan and Tinian—experienced widespread damage and many communities are without power, shelter, or access to clean water.
Our 767 cargo aircraft departed Saturday morning, April 18, from our Greensboro Airlift Response Center in North Carolina with 40 tons of relief including clean water systems, shelter material, and solar lights. A Disaster Assistance Response Team will work alongside local Operation Christmas Child church partners to get relief to those who need it most.
Intensifying to a Category 5 cyclone on April 14, Sinlaku is the strongest storm on the planet this year, barreling through the western Pacific island chain with wind speeds reaching 180 mph. The storm damaged vital infrastructure—including roads, hospitals, and power grids—on islands where nearly 50,000 people live.
In 2018, Samaritan’s Purse responded to Saipan and Tinian after Typhoon Yutu, helping more than 7,600 families recover from the deadly storm.
Please pray for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands as they begin a long road to recovery. Pray for strength and safety as Samaritan’s Purse teams respond in Jesus’ Name and that suffering families will experience the love of God through our work. Check back here for updates.
Samaritan’s Purse is responding to the islands in the wake of a destructive typhoon.
