FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Erik Ogren - (704) 577-2109
eogren@bgea.org
FLOODS ACROSS SOUTHEAST PROMPT BILLY GRAHAM RAPID RESPONSE
TEAM DEPLOYMENT
Homes in Ruin, Hundreds in Shelters as Chaplains Prepare to Minister to
Victims
CHARLOTTE, N.C., - The Billy Graham Rapid Response
Team of crisis-trained chaplains are preparing to deploy to Georgia to assist in
the recovery from recent storms that dropped up to 20 inches of rain in some
locations and left significant damage across the Southeast U.S. According to
news reports, nine people have died in the storms and subsequent flooding, and
several hundred people are being helped in shelters across the north Georgia
region.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team will deploy in coordination with
Samaritan's Purse, the international relief organization headed by Franklin
Graham, who is also president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association. Together, the two groups will meet the physical, emotional and
spiritual needs of those who have been affected by the flooding.
"Many families have lost everything that they've worked for, and it's very
common to feel devastated and hopeless during this time of great loss," said
Jack Munday, director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. "That's why it is
very important that we come alongside them as they are going through this dark
valley and offer them hope and compassion."
This deployment is the 20th in 2009 for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team,
following a spring season that saw back-to-back shooting tragedies in Oakland,
Calif., Carthage, N.C., Binghamton, N.Y. and Maryville, Ill., as well as
widespread flooding, tornadoes and ice storms across several parts of the
country. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has also deployed internationally
in 2009 to Australia after wildfires, Brazil after floods, and Italy after the
earthquake.
The most recent deployment recently ended in Louisville, Ky., where flash
flooding brought widespread home devastation on August 4. Over the course of
three weeks, chaplains in Louisville prayed with and comforted more than 300
victims of the flood.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is a nationwide network of more than
3,000 chaplains across 40 states that are specifically trained to deal with
crisis situations. Since the ministry was launched in 2002, it has deployed
following dozens of natural and man-made disasters, including hurricanes,
tornadoes, floods, fires and shootings.
