CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ANS) – At least one person died and many are still unaccounted for as 55 apartment units collapsed and were destroyed in Florida.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) has deployed crisis-trained chaplains to Surfside, Florida, to provide emotional and spiritual support after a 12-story residential building collapsed early Thursday morning.
“As we learn more about this terrible tragedy, our hearts are broken for the residents of this condo who experienced such a devastating event,” said Josh Holland, assistant director of the BG-RRT.
“Our crisis-trained chaplains are available to listen and we want all of those who were impacted—including the first responders who are part of the search and rescue efforts—to know that God still loves them and cares about them, even in the midst of such pain and sadness.”
BG-RRT chaplains are currently serving at four locations across Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana after severe flooding.
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 550 disaster sites across the globe, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit the BG-RRT press kit or www.BillyGraham.org/RRT. Updates can also be found at Facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
