Disaster relief teams are responding in New Jersey, Vermont, and North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene

Tony and Ann Giannini have lived for 45 years in their house in Wayne, New Jersey. They have experienced a lot of floods, but never anything like the deluge caused by Hurricane Irene.

Heavy rain from the storm caused the worst flooding in New Jersey since 1903. Rivers overflowed their banks, and floodwater inundated the Gianninis’ neighborhood. Their basement completely filled, and water came into their home.

“We’ve never seen it like this,” Ann said. “They’re calling it a 100-year flood. We didn’t think it would be this bad. We got up the day after the storm, and we were in the middle of a lake. I didn’t know if we could get out. It was a foot deep.”

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Hurricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina on August 27, then wreaked havoc along the East Coast of the United States as it hugged the shoreline over the next few days.

Samaritan’s Purse responded throughout the East Coast, sending staff and volunteers to three states. Disaster Relief Units are stationed in Wayne, New Jersey; Rutland, Vermont; and New Bern, North Carolina.

Each day, volunteers are equipped with tools and supplies and head into neighborhoods to help people affected by the storm.

The teams remove unsalvageable belongings from homes and clean out debris and muck left from the floodwaters. They rip up ruined flooring and strip damaged sheetrock from walls, then spray the exposed studs with a solution that kills mold. The works saves homeowners thousands of dollars and gives them a chance to rebuild.

When the work is finished, our teams pray with the people we’ve helped and present them with a Bible signed by the volunteers who worked on their home.

Tony, 80, and Ann, 79, are among the hundreds of homeowners helped since we first deployed to North Carolina the day after the story.

Samaritan’s Purse volunteers removed ruined appliances and other belongings from their home, ripped up the flooring, and took out the damaged sheetrock. It saved the elderly couple thousands of dollars in repair bills.

“We were amazed,” Ann said. “I think it’s a Godsend. They are angels. I really mean it. I can’t believe people do this. They’re all so polite and loving. Unbelievable. They’re so kind. Just wonderful people. They leave their homes and do this. Without God, you wouldn’t be here. He sent you people here. These are beautiful people who do this. We’re so grateful.”

God is using Samaritan’s Purse to bring comfort to many storm victims like Tony and Ann.

In North Carolina, our staff and volunteers began removing downed trees and assisting homeowners the day after the storm made landfall. We are working in Craven County and adjacent Pamlico County.

Bertie County, about 70 miles north of New Bern, also sustained wind damage from Irene. Samaritan’s Purse was already there, conducting a home rebuilding project for people affected by devastating tornadoes in April. Our staff and volunteers switched gears from rebuilding to debris removal to help people affected by the latest storm.

Our teams began working in Vermont after the state was battered with up to 15 inches of rain. Communities experienced the worst floods in nearly a century. About 13 towns were cut off after roads were washed away, and had to rely on the National Guard to bring in supplies of food and water.

Rob Townshend, one of the pastors at Calvary Bible Church, our host church, grew up in the area. This is the first major flood he has seen since he can remember.

“What made this so catastrophic is that it is so out of the ordinary,” he said. “Nobody expected it.”

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