Samaritan’s Purse is flying tonnes of materials to Hawaii to help homeowners reeling from wildfires.
Our DC-8 cargo jet airlifted a volunteer team and 17 tonness of relief supplies to Maui, Hawaii, on Tuesday, 15 August. Among many other items onboard were solar lights and hygiene kits to provide immediate relief to survivors of the deadly wildfires. The plane also carried tools and equipment that will help our volunteers sift through ashes to recover valuables and treasured mementos for devastated homeowners.
Samaritan’s Purse Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham is on the flight to Hawaii. Monday night, he spoke on TBN’s Centerpoint programme, “Sifting is extremely important. We may think it’s something simple, but it helps bring healing and closure like no other way for a homeowner.”
After arriving in Maui on Tuesday, Graham spoke to our staff and volunteers, reminding them to be sensitive in the midst of terrible suffering. “We know this is a horrible situation, so much loss and destruction,” he said of the deadly fires. He then went on to encourage them: “God gives us these resources, not to stay on a shelf somewhere, but He wants us to go out and love our neighbour. We get our name from the story of the Good Samaritan. We meet the immediate needs—we clothe, we give water, we give food, we give transportation.” All of our work provides us opportunities to share the hope that is in us, he said, the Good News that Jesus has paid our debt to bring us to God.
Tragically, close to 100 lives have been lost and likely scores more are still missing from wildfires that sprang up on Maui on 8 August Hurricane force winds were in part responsible for stirring a contained blaze into the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. Sadly, the blaze destroyed the historic town of Lahaina along with countless homes and businesses. Search and rescue efforts continue.
“What has happened in Hawaii is nothing short of devastating,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “As the death toll has risen, my heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones and for the families who must now begin the long road to recovery. Please join me in praying for them and for our Samaritan’s Purse teams who are responding in Jesus’ Name.”
Samaritan’s Purse is grateful for a strong network of church partners in Hawaii, built in part by our 2018 response to catastrophic flooding on Kauai.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is also on the ground ministering to the spiritual needs of people who have suddenly found themselves in displacement centers due to the fires. These chaplains are also assisting local law enforcement offices with a variety of duties, including the difficult task of notifying family members when there has been a death.
Please pray for the suffering people of Maui and for Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Rapid Response teams as they extend the comfort and hope offered in Jesus Christ.
