Samaritan’s Purse has gifted 16 houses to families who lost their homes in a 2021 tornado in Western Kentucky.
The 16 homes were built in a subdivision called New Hope Acres, a community of homes also built by Samaritan’s Purse. Last week, 16 families received keys to their new homes.
"I was in Mayfield shortly after the storm hit, and the damage was indescribable. So many people were in shock and suffering. Everything they had was gone in an instant," said the Rev. Franklin Graham, the president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse.
"God provided the funding, and we realized He wanted us to do something. We decided to come here and build 60 homes. We come here today not only to thank God but to dedicate this property, these houses, and the families who will be living here, and we dedicate them all to God and His glory."
The 2019 tornado killed some 80 people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. In the aftermath, Samaritan’s Purse sent thousands of volunteers to help.
"I thank God that Samaritan's Purse was able to respond immediately with thousands of volunteers and that we're now able to complete these new homes to help families get back on their feet. We are providing these homes in New Hope Acres for free. We want the people of Mayfield to know that God loves them," Graham said.
According to the international disaster relief organization, each new house comes fully furnished with two-, three-, and four-bedroom layouts. In addition, every home has a built-in storm room designed to withstand an EF-5 tornado.
Latasha and Dennis Hayes, one of the 16 families to receive a home, told a local TV station that the new house will give them a fresh start.
"It's a fresh start, a new start, that's what it means, a new start," she said. "And with that, it's a new start to us 16 families that have been dedicated today and 16 more after and after."
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Scott Olson/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
