Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) chaplains have deployed alongside Samaritan’s Purse to Marion County, Oregon, after an ice storm caused significant damage to the area.
Widely considered one of the worst ice storms in Oregon history, the severe weather resulted in five deaths and left more than 350,000 people without power.
“The amount of damage that an ice storm can do is catastrophic. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones and suffered property damage,” said Josh Holland, assistant director of the BG-RRT. “We feel honored to be able to send crisis-trained chaplains to talk and pray with those who were impacted, and to share the love of Jesus Christ with that community.”
Monday marks the fifth deployment for the BG-RRT since the beginning of 2021. Chaplains served at three locations in Oregon in 2020, including Beachie Creek and Jackson County after wildfires, and Pendleton following flooding that devastated the area.
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit the RRT press kit or BillyGraham.org/RRT. Updates can also be found at Facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
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 540 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus
A large tree downed in an ice storm sits atop power lines in Lake Oswego, Ore. Nearly 150,000 customers lost power.