South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Donald Trump Jr. joined Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse Friday to help airlift warm clothing to Hurricane Helene-torn North Carolina as temperatures fell in the region.
Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian disaster relief and evangelism organization, has served its home state of North Carolina since Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeast in late September.
Noem joined Trump and Graham, the president of Samaritan’s Purse and son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, in the Bat Cave community near Chimney Rock Friday afternoon.
With donations personally delivered from California-based Kirstyn Hairston of KUIU and Dan and Agatha Genter of Genter Capital Management, Samaritan’s Purse donated over 1,200 articles of winter clothing to the storm-torn survivors of western North Carolina, including winter jackets, fleece sweaters and pants, according to a release. Bat Cave received a portion of this donation from Hairston and the Genters; three more communities in the state will receive the rest.
“Today was an amazing opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to be a blessing to people alongside Samaritan’s Purse,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “Today, we saw the devastation of entire communities that have lost homes and all their belongings and even lost lives.
“So, we’re not only here today — we’re not going to forget about these folks. They will need our help for weeks and years to come. They will still need us to pray for them and lift them up. And they’ll need an organization like Samaritan’s Purse to walk alongside them.”
As Election Day draws closer, the people of rural North Carolina and others affected by Hurricane Helene have largely been out of the news cycle. High-elevation regions in western North Carolina have been hit especially hard, and freezing temperatures are nearing.
“So, please, don’t take your attention off this. There’s a lot of work to be done,” Edward Graham, Franklin Graham’s son and Samaritan’s Purse COO, said in an October interview with Fox News Digital. “And if people really want to help, I need volunteers for the long haul.
“I need volunteers right now, but I need volunteers showing up in January, December, November, when it’s cold over the holiday season, when you’re warm with your family over the holiday. Think about those in western North Carolina that aren’t.
“Orange Shirts,” or Samaritan’s Purse volunteers, have served over 3,000 Hurricane Helene-affected families by removing mud from flooded homes, clearing debris, removing downed trees and tarping damaged roofs.
Samaritan’s Purse has also conducted the nation’s largest civilian airlift operation in history to access those in rural North Carolina whose roads have been washed out with donations of emergency supplies and lifesaving aid. According to a release, the Christian relief organization has donated 700,000 pounds of supplies to 80 communities on 357 airlifts.
“The people who we met today were so grateful South Dakota’s Gov. Kristi Noem, Donald Trump Jr., Dan and Agatha Genter and Kirstyn Hairston came all the way to North Carolina to see them,” Rev. Franklin Graham said in an exclusive statement shared with Fox News Digital. “When you have lost everything except for the clothes on your back, the fact that someone cares enough to come help means everything.”
“This area is 20 miles from where I grew up, and it wasn’t remote, but it is today because it was cut off by Hurricane Helene. Many people are now using four-wheelers to travel, but it has been incredible to see people taking care of each other. It is remarkable how people have stood up to help their neighbors in this time of great need,” added Graham.
In addition to the warm clothing donation from Friday, Samaritan’s Purse has donated generators, heaters and fuel to Helene survivors. Rev. Franklin Graham lost heat in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, according to his son, Edward.
Graham offered his thanks to the South Dakota governor and the business leaders who donated warm clothing for Friday’s airlift mission carried out onboard a Black Hawk helicopter, according to a release.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to Gov. Kristi Noem for showing up to support the people of North Carolina,” said Franklin Graham. So many have suffered unimaginable loss and pain, and I want them to know they aren’t forgotten. God loves and cares for them.”
Samaritan’s Purse has provided winter clothing for 15,000 people across North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as generators, heaters, blankets, solar lights, boxes of food and bottled water.
Disaster Relief Units, tractor-trailers stocked with tools and equipment, have been deployed by Samaritan’s Purse to Asheville, Boone and Burnsville in North Carolina, as well as Perry and Tampa in Florida and Valdosta, Georgia.
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FOX Weather confirmed 101 Hurricane Helene-related deaths in North Carolina as of Oct. 30, bringing the overall total to 229 across seven states.
