PIKEVILLE, Ky., Feb. 21, 2025 – The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) is deploying crisis-trained chaplains to serve both Pike County, Kentucky, and nearby Mingo County, West Virginia, where several inches of rain resulted in widespread flooding across the region.
“We are heartbroken to see another mountain community devastated by the force of flood waters. Just as their neighbors to the south experienced during Hurricane Helene, those living in the Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia mountains have seen widespread damage due to severe storms that inundated the region with rain last weekend,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “Scripture tells us that God will be with us through the deep waters. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is sending crisis-trained chaplains to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ with those who have gone through this flood that has consumed everything around them.”
Chaplains will arrive in Pikeville, Kentucky, and begin ministering to those affected on Saturday, Feb. 22. The BG-RRT deploys to natural disasters in coordination with Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian disaster relief organization also headed by Franklin Graham. Together the two ministries will address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of impacted homeowners.
The BG-RRT is now ministering in three areas across the United States. In addition to the Pike County / Mingo County deployment, the ministry is meeting emotional and spiritual needs in the Los Angeles area where the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire have caused wide-spread destruction.
In addition to these domestic efforts, chaplains are also offering hope and providing emotional comfort and spiritual care to families who have been forced to flee their homes in war-torn Ukraine.
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit the BG-RRT press kit or BillyGraham.org/RRT. Updates can also be found at Facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
Media Opportunities
- Interviews with:
- Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT
- Chaplain coordinator in Pike County, Kentucky / Mingo County, West Virginia
- B-Roll and photos (please use with credit to Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
- Interview request form
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 870 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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