Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane. As it moved north, it brought high winds, heavy rain, and flooding to Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.
“This storm is huge,” Franklin Graham said on social media. “Pray for the safety of all of those in [its] path.”
Crisis-trained Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) chaplains are supporting devastated people in Tampa and Perry, Florida; Valdosta, Georgia; and North Carolina’s High Country, including Boone.
Chaplains are also providing a ministry of presence at a shelter in Fletcher, North Carolina, and at the Watauga County Hospital in Boone.
The lethal force of the storm has killed more than 130 people and left millions without power. Emergency crews have been working to rescue people trapped in flooded homes and cars.
Aside from the visible damage of uprooted trees, twisted power lines, and roads turned into rivers, countless people are dealing with grief, trauma, and loss—and will be for months to come.
“We often brace for storms, and we watched as Hurricane Helene came ashore. Even still, the impact of this disaster caught many by surprise. The scenes we’re witnessing across multiple states are almost unfathomable,” said Josh Holland, international director of BG-RRT.
“We’re sending our Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains to offer hope and comfort to the weary and broken in the midst of this horrific disaster.”
Chaplains will likely deploy to other areas of need in the coming days, he added.
Please pray for all those affected by this disaster, and for the chaplains who will be serving in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
