Chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) have announced a deployment to Wabash County, Illinois, after a tornado swept through the area on Thursday, May 19. Forecasters say an EF-2 tornado with a 26 mile long path touched down causing extensive damage to numerous homes.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Wabash County and our hearts are heavy for those who have suffered great loss,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to pray with, listen and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this storm.”
BG-RRT crisis-trained chaplains will arrive Monday in Wabash County, about 50 miles north of Evansville, Indiana, and plan to remain in the area for a week. They will serve alongside the disaster relief organization Samaritan’s Purse to help meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those impacted by the tornado.
BG-RRT chaplains are now serving in four locations. Besides Wabash County, Illinois, chaplains are in Brookings, South Dakota, after a deadly derecho ripped through the region. Chaplains also continue to serve in Ukraine, working at several Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospitals, as well as in Poland, where they are offering hope and providing comfort and compassion to families who have been forced to flee from 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 550 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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Media Contact:
Christine Batchelder
cbatchelder@bgea.org