Samaritan's Purse Canada heading south to help U.S. town after dam burst

Samaritan's Purse Canada currently has a nine-vehicle convoy on its way from Calgary to Minnesota to help with the recent flooding disaster. 

"On the night of June 24, torrential rain caused a dam to collapse in southern Minnesota which led to flooding that devastated the town of, ironically, Waterville," says Frank King, the News Media Relations Manager of Samaritan’s Purse Canada and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada (BGEA). 

According to King, more than 170 families have been affected by the flooding. 

"A state of emergency has been declared in the area. The town and the county reached out to the American Samaritan's Purse office. They said, 'Yes, we will respond, but we're going to have our Canadian office do that."

Not only was the American office quite swamped with other disasters but King shares that Canada has been blessed with a quiet disaster season. Normally in the spring and summer Samaritan's Purse is busy helping people with wildfires, but there have been a lot less this year. 

"We're going to set up at a local church, our whole system there, get the phone number out to local media and churches to let them know we're here and ready to help."

Samaritan's Purse staff and any volunteers will be in Waterville helping with anything people need, as well as offering emotional and spiritual support to people who've lost a lot in the flooding. Anyone interested in volunteering or finding out more can find details on their website. The ministry anticipates helping the people of Waterville between three and six weeks. 

"We pray for these hurting families and are planning to do all we can ease their distress," says Keith Waara, acting director of Canadian Ministry Projects in a news release.