Pastor Charles English was at home with one of his daughters when Ivy Creek became a torrent of boulders, trees, and exploding propane tanks—common elements for most stories about Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through the mountains. Charles and his wife, Sadie, have lived five decades in Barnardsville, North Carolina, along a normally idyllic branch of…
Egyptian Family in Boone Provided with New Car After Helene
Mohamed and Nehal said their street near Boone turned into a river when Hurricane Helene dumped rain on the region last September. Their apartment flooded, along with all of their belongings. Among the Egyptian family’s losses were the trusty vehicles they relied on for work. “They were flooded to the roof,” Mohamed said. “There was…
Love Arrives After the Storm
Among the ruined items Michael Dixon pulled out of his dresser—soaked certificates, destroyed books, precious photos—he discovered a small keychain. Holding it up to the sunlight streaming through his window, a smile crept onto his face. “Sevierville. 1991. Howard’s restaurant. Our honeymoon,” he said, gazing at the two-inch photo of him and his wife, Nancy,…
Newsletter October 2024
Volunteers Serve a Carolina Family Mourning Terrible Loss
Nothing remained where her sister’s home once stood. No furniture, clothes, or kitchen dishes. Anna Wiebe and her husband, Ryan, stood in silence as they stared at the expanse of water that now consumed the family’s property. Neither knew what to say. “I was numb and in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that this was happening,”…
President Donald Trump and Franklin Graham Meet Hurricane Survivors in North Carolina
Only days after his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, President Donald Trump accompanied Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham on Friday to Buncombe County, North Carolina, to see our ongoing Hurricane Helene relief efforts. President Trump and Graham visited homeowners in the hard-hit area, assessing needs and sharing words of encouragement as…
Newsletter November 2024
Shoebox Packers Go From Devastation to Celebration
She peered through a busted window into the church basement and saw that floodwaters from Hurricane Helene had left a muddy mess. The Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift items that First Baptist Church of Damascus, Virginia, had collected during the year were now wet and filthy. Jaz, age 11, saw something that gave her hope—a…