Chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) are deployed in Western North Carolina (above), Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Helene left more than 220 dead, with Milton claiming at least 20 lives.
As communities slowly make progress cleaning up, piles of rotting materials from gutted homes and buildings fill many neighborhoods. The devastation is an ever-present reminder that material possessions are fleeting, but Jesus Christ never fails.
Following Hurricane Milton, chaplains have been comforting residents of Port Charlotte, Fla. Here, chaplains Christine McKinley and Marsha Duckwitz talk to a homeowner whose roof was damaged during the storm.
Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, killing 13 people in the Sunshine State according to news reports. Eleven of those were in the Tampa area (above), which was also in Milton's path just a couple of weeks later.
Chaplains are trained in crisis response and share with those they minister to how to have peace on the inside—no matter what’s going on around us.
Chaplains minister to the firefighters of North Port's Fire Rescue Station 81 in Port Charlotte, Fla., encouraging them during recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
“Sometimes when a storm like this comes, people think, ‘Well, maybe God is mad at us, maybe this is His judgment?’ No. God loves us,” Franklin Graham said. “God will take us through those storms if we put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.”
A BG-RRT chaplain prays with this man and woman in Valdosta, Ga., where many homes and several downtown buildings were destroyed.
Many groups and organizations across the region have been collecting items for residents impacted by Hurricane Helene. Cars lined up in this parking lot in Burnsville, N.C., about 40 minutes north of Asheville, to receive assistance. Here, a chaplain speaks with someone waiting in line.
Franklin Graham’s daughter, Cissie Graham Lynch (right), offers encouragement to a Boone, N.C., resident who survived Helene.
Many residents have shared that knowing countless people are praying helps them get through hard days. Please continue to pray for all those affected by this heartbreaking disaster.
In Tampa, more than 1,000 people were rescued, and tens of thousands of homes were flooded during the first of the deadly storms.
Chaplains speak with a man outside the team’s Mobile Ministry Center (MMC) in Asheville. The MMC is a gathering place for residents to share their burdens and receive prayer.
Chaplains have ministered to families—like this one in Boone—who are struggling to put their lives back together. Many have lost not only their homes or loved ones, but also their vehicles and jobs.
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” —Nahum 1:7, ESV
Will you ask God to give strength to each person who went through Helene and Milton and to comfort those who are grieving loved ones?
