By Christie MannThursday 21 Sep 201796five AfternoonsNewsReading Time: 2 minutes
Hurricane Irma smashed through the Caribbean as one of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storms in recorded history, leaving death and destruction in its wake as the storm churned through.
Debris from Hurricane Irma
Samaritan’s Purse is bringing physical relief and the hope of the Gospel to families in the Caribbean as they struggle to recover after Hurricane Irma. “My prayers are with the many who have seen their homes and businesses devastated by Irma’s wind and water. They will now be facing an overwhelming clean-up,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham.
“I pray especially for those who have lost loved ones in the storm.”
Our DC-8 cargo plane is making multiple trips to the island to deliver relief supplies and disaster assistance response teams. Through these airlifts—the first of which occurred on 8 September —we’ve brought in water purification units, heavy-duty shelter plastic, family hygiene kits, and blankets for thousands of families. We most recently flew in 30 tons of food to help residents as local supplies dwindle. Distributions are now underway, and over 1,100 households have received relief supplies
Samaritan’s Purse is also installing equipment in St. Martin to convert seawater into clean drinking water, which has become another urgent need.
96five’s Arthur Muhl has spoken with Abby McPharlin, the International Projects Manager with Samaritan’s Purse Australia.
The organisation is asking Australians to donate towards the Caribbean relief efforts by going on-line – https://www.communications.samaritanspurse.org.au/aud_donate_now_hurricane_irma_disaster_relief
Abby is also urging people to pray.
“Please continue to be in prayer for the Caribbean this week as many islands hit by Hurricane Irma (and, in some cases, Hurricane Jose) may now suffer through Hurricane Maria, which is gaining strength as it churns through the Atlantic. Please also pray for stamina for our teams as they reach out to people who need hope after Hurricane Irma, and also pray for people throughout the region, many of whom are without jobs and facing an unknown future.”