Aid Organization Headed by Franklin Graham Sends Disaster Relief Unit to Missouri and Tennessee Tornado Victims

Samaritan's Purse
Friday, 9 May 2003

Samaritan's Purse Sends Emergency Crew, Equipment, and Expertise

Trucks loaded with emergency equipment and a crew of emergency experts from North Carolina are helping victims of the recent tornadoes in Missouri and Tennessee.

Dispatched by international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, two tractor-trailer units, staff, and volunteers are working around Jackson, Tenn. and Pierce City, Mo., two areas devastated by recent tornadoes. The Samaritan's Purse disaster relief teams specialize in emergency repairs so that families will be able to quickly and safely return to their homes. Crews are prepared to cover leaking roofs with sheets of plastic, remove fallen trees and debris, and provide other help as needed.

With 30 years of experience providing international relief, the disaster relief team has been providing emergency assistance in the United States since hurricane Hugo in 1989. Two tractor-trailers loaded with emergency supplies, equipment, and tools are kept at the Samaritan's Purse headquarters in Boone, N. C., prepared to dispatch within hours. Samaritan's Purse has also developed a network of trained volunteers and church teams who will join the work in Missouri and Tennessee.

In the past several years, Samaritan's Purse has provided disaster relief following tornadoes in Tennessee and Alabama in 2001, Georgia in 2000, and Oklahoma in 1999. Last year, the disaster team also responded to flooding in Texas, West Virginia, and Kentucky; an ice storm in North Carolina; and Hurricane Lili in Louisiana.

Working in more than 100 countries, Samaritan's Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has been named to most efficient religious charity three years in a row by SmartMoney magazine.

For more information, or to contact Samaritan's Purse, see their website at: www.samaritanspurse.org