The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) has deployed to Merced County, California, after massive flooding caused widespread damage. Thousands of residents were finally able to return to their homes after having to evacuate. The National Weather Service reported Merced County received 4.60 inches of rain for January, well above the average of 3.75 inches.
“As we see the many lives impacted because of this flooding in Merced County, California, our hearts are heavy for those who have suffered great loss,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “I’m so thankful for our crisis-trained chaplains who will be there to provide emotional and spiritual care as the area begins the recovery process. We want to make sure people know we care and God loves them.”
The team of crisis-trained chaplains is working in conjunction with disaster relief organization Samaritan’s Purse to help meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those impacted by the flooding.
BG-RRT chaplains are now providing emotional and spiritual support in six locations. Besides Merced County, California, chaplains are ministering to people in tornado-ravaged Selma, Alabama, and Griffin, Georgia. Chaplains are also serving in two areas of Florida after Hurricane Ian battered the southwest coast of the state in September 2022. In addition, chaplains are 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.
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
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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 680 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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Media Contact:
Christine Batchelder
cbatchelder@bgea.org