One day after Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast of the United States, international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse began deploying disaster relief units and staff to help victims of the storm.
The disaster relief units—tractor trailers stocked with emergency supplies including chainsaws, tarps and generators—will serve as the base of operations for Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers during the duration of the relief efforts. The relief crews will help families with emergency repairs by putting tarps on roofs, cleaning up storm debris, removing mud and water from flooded homes and treating for mold.
“We want to help people recover from this tragedy and let them know that God loves them and they are not alone in their need,” says Samaritan’s Purse President and CEO Franklin Graham. “We want to help get them back on their feet as soon as possible by meeting their physical, spiritual and emotional needs.”
Samaritan’s Purse has five relief experts assessing damage in storm-ravaged communities in New York and New Jersey. By working closing with local churches, Samaritan’s Purse is able to identify areas where the relief crews can be most effective.
Samaritan’s Purse has mobilized thousands of volunteers to work with its Disaster Relief Teams to provide emergency aid to disaster victims in the United States. Since 1998 when the organization equipped its first Disaster Relief Unit, Samaritan’s Purse has helped more than 25,000 victims of natural disasters by quickly providing emergency supplies, repairing, cleaning and rebuilding homes. Last year, Samaritan’s Purse helped more than 3,200 households affected by storms in 10 states through the efforts of more than 20,000 volunteers.
