Samaritan's Purse Delivers First Mobile Homes to Mississippi Tornado Survivors
A Christian humanitarian relief organization is offering help to Mississippi communities hit hard after two deadly tornadoes swept through the state and destroyed homes, businesses, and farmland.
Samaritan's Purse is offering a mobile home replacement program for Amory, Rolling Fork, and Silver City, Mississippi families who lost everything in the March 24 tornado.
As CBN News reported, at least 25 people died in Mississippi, 55 people were injured and 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The tornado lasted more than an hour and left behind a 170-mile path of destruction in Mississippi.
(Image Courtesy: Samaritian's Purse)
The National Weather Service classified the monster tornado a preliminary EF-4 – a rating that signals wind gusts could get up to 200 miles per hour.
"I'm looking around town, and I'm saying, 'I know we can rebuild, but what do you do with the devastation, what do you do with all this here?'" asked tornado victim Ezell Williams.
The monster tornado leveled most of Rolling Fork.
"I'm hurt. Nothing but hurt 'cause everyone lost something, whether it was a loved one, a home. Everyone lost something," said Jessica Davis, a Rolling Fork resident.
(Image Courtesy: Samaritian's Purse)
Samaritan's Purse was on the ground less than 24 hours after the storm.
Nearly 1,200 volunteers helped homeowners begin to recover by salvaging personal belongings, clearing debris, and tarping damaged roofs.
(Image Courtesy: Samaritian's Purse)
Now the group is launching a program to replace the mobile homes of 35 families who did not have insurance or were underinsured.
I’m in Amory, Mississippi, this morning where the first of the upgraded mobile homes @SamaritansPurse is giving to families who lost their mobile homes in the March tornadoes have arrived. We want to meet some of the families and dedicate these to the Lord today. pic.twitter.com/5OaYZaZu1z
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) May 19, 2023
Evangelist Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and reminded families that God loves them and they are not forgotten.
"The devastation that these families experienced can take years to recover from, and we want to help them get back on their feet quickly," said Graham.
"While we can't make these mobile homes stormproof, we are making them safer and more durable by adding stronger roofing and floor joists, tempered glass, thicker walls, and other enhancements. We pray that these new homes are a blessing to each family and that they remind them that God loves them," he added.
According to Samaritan's Purse, the mobile homes were built to withstand wind speeds up to 110 miles per hour—the average mobile home is built for winds up to 70 miles per hour.
"These mobile homes are not built to normal standards, they're built to our standards. We are doing this in Jesus' Name because this is what God has called us to do," Graham said.
Josh Hatcher, has been living in a hotel since he hasn’t had a place to call home. His house was destroyed by a fire in February, and not even a week after moving into a new mobile home, the tornado hit Amory and he lost everything for the second time.
He and his two children recieved a new mobile home.
"God came through big time for us. I lost two houses—my hope was gone. I didn't know what I was going to do. Then God opened up a door with this new house, new everything. He's doing a lot." His son Jaiden said, "It means the whole entire world to me—I really do appreciate all this. It feels so, so amazing."
Jaiden continued saying, "This is God's blessing to us."
The nonprofit organization is also offering mobile home replacement programs in Tennessee and Arkansas following tornadoes that struck one week after the deadly Mississippi storm.
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