Helene’s heavy rains poured on Mark and Mechelle Tipton’s Marshall, North Carolina, neighborhood, flooding their mobile home with up to 24 inches of water. They escaped through the back door and up the hill to safety. However, they lost many of their belongings—and their home—to last year’s historic storm. The nearby French Broad River flowed…
In Awe of God’s Goodness
When Hurricane Helene washed away Margaret’s mobile home in the mountains of western North Carolina nearly two years ago, she remembers, God was faithful to deliver her from the torrent of wind and rain. Though she lost everything, she continued to trust that He would provide. VOLUNTEER IN NORTH CAROLINA Margaret again experienced God’s love…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Franklin Graham Dedicates New Home in North Carolina
Hurricane Helene ripped through Bob and Edwina Tatum’s hometown of 200 people, swelling the once-peaceful stream behind the couple’s Minneapolis, North Carolina, house into a destructive river. The torrent swept away everything in its path, including the Tatums’ home of 46 years. The couple wasn’t sure where to turn for help or where they’d live…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Bridging the Gap in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene damaged the bridge that Tina Palmer used every day to get to her Deep Gap, North Carolina, home on the other side of a creek. Since the September 2024 storm, she has been afraid to even walk over the faltering structure, much less drive across it. Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief recently came…
Our Ministry
Newsletter June 2025
Franklin Graham Update | June Franklin Graham Update | June Gospel Hope for the World Dear Friend, Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of convening the European Congress on Evangelism with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Berlin, Germany. We brought over 1,000 church and ministry leaders from 55 countries and territories across Europe to focus on proclamation evangelism. Our…
Crisis & Disaster Response
God’s Goodness on Display
The gentle stream that runs along Chris Christenbury’s property in Vilas, North Carolina, turned into a raging torrent when Hurricane Helene swept through the area in September 2024. It engulfed his home and made it unlivable. “The chaos that ensues after a disaster like this is unmanageable by the people that it’s happening to,” Chris…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Rebuilding in Tennessee
Samaritan’s Purse has started rebuilding homes that were lost to Hurricane Helene, including one for Kim Mitchum in Mountain City, Tennessee. The September 2024 storm flooded Mitchum’s home—damaging her belongings and leaving her with a black mold infestation that could not be stopped. When our U.S. Disaster Relief teams came to her aid with the…
Crisis & Disaster Response
New Home Surprises Homeowner
On Sept. 27, 2024, the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused untold destruction across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. More than 100 individuals died in North Carolina alone. In addition, the storm left thousands of people homeless, including Thanh Bui of Swannanoa, a town just east of Asheville. Floodwaters forced her and her son, Quintin,…
Health & Medical Ministries
Special Medical Outreach Held in Western North Carolina
Note: A second free clinic will take place on June 21-22 in Marshall at the same location. All are welcome. For more information on volunteering, go to samaritanspurse.org/free-clinic. “Do I eat or do I go to the doctor?” Samaritan’s Purse physician Elliott Tenpenny explained the dilemma that many underinsured people face across the country. When…
Our Ministry
Hurricane Melissa Response
Providing Relief in Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa Medical teams are caring for patients in Black River as we continue delivery of critical relief after the Category 5 storm. Latest Updates Our medical response, including the Emergency Field Hospital in Black River and mobile medical units in hard-to-reach places, has provided care to more than 3,800 patients, including nearly 100…
