Friday, September 19, 2008

Billy Graham's Rapid Response Team helps Galveston residents

As Hurricane Ike’s storm surge flooded Galveston’s historic district Saturday, sparking fires and knocking out power, chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (RRT) prepared to deploy from Charlotte.

“We are just minutes away from leaving to go help those folks so devastated by Hurricane Ike,” said Jack Munday, director of the RRT, at a press conference held at BGEA headquarters Saturday.

Franklin Graham, president of BGEA, says, “We have an army of chaplains who are trained to respond in times of crisis, to minister to people who have lost so much. The need is great.”

For the next several weeks, the chaplains will provide spiritual and emotional care to people devastated by a storm that left many without shelter and even more without electricity, clean water, and food. Deaths related to the storm have been reported in Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio as well as Texas.

“I don't think they expected it to be this bad,” says Marilyn, a chaplain coordinator who has now arrived in Alta Loma, Texas, a suburb outside of Galveston, with other chaplains from the Rapid Response Team. “It's heartbreaking.”

More about this deployment and video

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