Samaritan's Purse Airlifts Critical Relief Supplies to Haiti After 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake
Boone, N.C., Aug. 15, 2021—Yesterday, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. It caused severe damage—destroying homes and trapping people in the rubble. High casualties are feared as search and rescue efforts continue. Samaritan's Purse immediately began to mobilize disaster response specialists and position relief supplies for deployment.
Today, the Samaritan's Purse DC-8 cargo plane is airlifting 13 disaster response specialists and 31 tons of emergency relief supplies, including shelter material and two community water filtration units, to Haiti. Each unit is capable of providing clean water to 3,500 people each day. A medical team will also deploy to provide basic medical care and begin health assessments. The N.C.-based organization stands ready to rapidly scale up the response based on the needs.
“This massive earthquake has devastated Haiti—it's left many families homeless and searching for their loved ones,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. “We are responding to help meet needs in Jesus' Name. Please pray for Haiti and all those who are suffering.”
Media Opportunities
- Interview Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations for Samaritan's Purse. Isaacs has more than 30 years of experience working in complex emergency response situations internationally. He was also on the ground with Samaritan’s Purse immediately following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
- Interview disaster response specialists on the way to Haiti.
- Cover the DC-8 takeoff in Greensboro, North Carolina on August 15th. Media opportunities beginning at 11am.
On-Site Media Contact: Kaitlyn Lahm, klahm@samaritan.org, 828-406-0365
Samaritan's Purse has worked in Haiti for more than a decade—responding to disasters and maintaining a permanent country office based in Port-au-Prince. In 2010, the international Christian relief organization responded to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake and the subsequent cholera outbreak. In 2016, Samaritan's Purse responded to Hurricane Matthew and provided life-saving relief supplies in the hardest-hit areas.
Samaritan's Purse is simultaneously deploying an Emergency Field Hospital to Jackson, Mississippi as the local healthcare system is inundated with COVID-19 patients as well as responding to the devastating wildfires in California.
Based in Boone, North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations in Jesus' Name—especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.
