Samaritan’s Purse assisting Maui families

The folks at Samaritan’s Purse have been dispatched to Hawaii to help victims of the devastating Maui wildfire.

On Tuesday, the organization airlifted 17 tons of emergency relief equipment, including solar lights, hygiene kits, and volunteer teams to Lahaina, Maui.

Danielle Hartung, the Senior Communications and Engagement Strategist with the group says they are still on the ground helping where they are needed.

“We also have brought tools because one of the ways that we often are able to respond after a fire like this is being able to do sifting and help families recover precious belongings from the ashes. And this is often a really important healing and closing process for people to be able to do after they’ve lost so much. So we’re bringing relief supplies and we also have Chaplains on site to be able to care for people and pray for them as well.”

We asked Hartung if Samaritan’s Purse has been asked to assist with the N.W.T wildfire situation and she told us they haven’t yet, but they will respond if they do get the call.

“We’re on standby. We’re prepared to respond in several of these different capacities. The other piece is we’ve actually historically responded in Fort Smith and in Hay River, so we’ve reached out to our contacts in the area. We’ve worked with several of the churches there. So we’re checking with our folks that we know on the ground, seeing how we can be of help and are prepared to respond when it is safe to do so, to care for those who have evacuated and who are in the midst of such an incredible tragedy right now.”

To support Samaritan’s Purse’s disaster relief efforts, you can visit SamaritansPurse.ca