Samaritan's Purse, Georgia Disaster Relief Warehouse

March 22, 2007

Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers worked tirelessly for three weeks to assist victims of the massive tornado that left a trail of death and devastation in southwest Georgia on the evening of March 1.

The twister, some two miles wide, killed two persons and damaged or destroyed nearly 600 homes across Sumter County. In the town of Americus, the storm wrecked the regional hospital, demolished businesses, left roads impassible, and wiped out basic utility services, leaving the city’s 17,000 residents in desperate need of emergency assistance.

Samaritan’s Purse was on the ground immediately after the storm, working with state emergency management officials, the mayor of Americus, and local authorities to assess the damage and coordinate an effective response. We quickly dispatched a convoy of relief equipment and supplies, including one of our Disaster Relief Units, a 53-foot tractor-trailer filled with plastic sheeting and other construction materials, along with a two-ton service truck with tools, four support trucks, and two compact loaders with grapple buckets.

Within a day, Christian volunteers from throughout Georgia and neighboring states were mobilized to help the uninsured, elderly, and disabled. By March 21, more than 300 volunteers had worked on 295 homes, clearing fallen trees, removing debris, and providing temporary repairs to protect against further weather damage.

Samaritan's Purse also provided 1,800 gallons of water and 250 emergency food kits to local churches for distribution to tornado victims. Some 800 families received comfort kits that include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other basic items.