Chaplains Serving in Birmingham Suburb After Fatal Flooding

By   •   October 18, 2021

Over 100 rescuers with 16 boats helped save dozens of terrified drivers and locals submerged in muddy floodwaters in Pelham, Alabama, on Wednesday night, October 6. Pictured here is a Billy Graham chaplain ministering to a North Carolina resident after Hurricane Matthew caused deadly flooding in 2016. Chaplains are now sharing the same message of God's love in a Spanish-speaking area of Pelham.

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) is ministering alongside Samaritan’s Purse to Pelham, Alabama, where more than 80 people were rescued after floodwaters submerged vehicles and homes earlier this month.

The National Weather Service said central Alabama experienced as much as 13 inches of rainfall, causing streams and creeks to overflow. These floodwaters inundated entire vehicles, caused a landslide and left many drivers with no other option but to climb out their windows after their cars stalled. Four people died, including a 4-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman in swept-away vehicles.

“The destruction caused by this flooding is significant and our prayers go out to all of those who were impacted, especially those who lost loved ones,” said Josh Holland, BG-RRT’s assistant director. “Our crisis-trained chaplains will be there to listen as people share their stories, and to share God’s love and hope that is found through Jesus Christ.”

Alabama resident John McGuire is heading up the team of chaplains, addressing the emotional and spiritual needs in the area. He served in Pelham earlier this year when a tornado hit the town in late March.

While Samaritan’s Purse volunteers work on mudding out people’s flooded homes, BG-RRT chaplains are taking time to get to know homeowners, offering prayer and helping them process the recent disaster.

The Alabama deluge took place around seven weeks after over a dozen people died in catastrophic floodwaters in Tennessee. Nineteen BG-RRT chaplains offered emotional and spiritual care to the devastated region.

Please keep all those affected by these floodwaters in your prayers.

Do you have hope in times of crisis? Know Who you can count on in all circumstances.