As Tragedy Strikes Again, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Answers the Call

Ninth Deployment of 2008 Means Three Simultaneous Missions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Just days after responding to areas in Virginia devastated by tornadoes, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains deployed again over the weekend, this time to Arkansas following tornadoes that left eight dead on Friday. For the first time in the history of the Rapid Response Team chaplaincy ministry, the team is currently deployed responding to three separate tragedies at the same time, all of which were caused by tornadoes. Chaplains are still working with students at Union University in Jackson, Tenn following the tornado that tore through the campus in February, in addition to the deployment that began last week in Virginia. “There is so much pain and suffering caused by these storms, especially this year with the vast destruction of so many repeated tornadoes across large swaths of our country,” said Jack Munday, director of the Rapid Response Team. “Though tornadoes are the common thread, each individual situation is different and the pain felt by each person or family affected by the storms is unique. We want each and every one of them to know that they are loved and are being prayed for during this difficult time.” Chaplain teams arrived in Arkansas on Saturday and are assessing the situation on the ground to determine the number of chaplains needed and the potential length of the deployment. This is the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team’s ninth deployment of 2008, following multiple tornado deployments to areas in Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas, flooding in two different locations of Missouri, the Valentines Day shooting on the campus of Northern Illinois University, and a training deployment in Kenya, Africa following the recent bloodshed in that country. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed following the attacks of September 11, 2001. It has since grown into a nationwide database of more than 2,600 chaplains and ministry volunteers who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. For more information on the Rapid Response Team, visit www.billygraham.org/rapidresponse. - 30 -