God didn't send Hurricane Florence because He is mad, says Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham has sought to assure people Friday that Hurricane Florence is not the result of God's anger.
Writing for Fox News, the evangelist and head of Samaritan's Purse said God had not forgotten the people affected by Florence.
'As a Christian, I want people to know God loves them and hasn't forgotten them,' he said.
'A lot of people think when a storm comes that maybe God is mad at them, and He's not. We share this simple, yet profound truth as we minister in crisis situations.'
The category 1 hurricane made landfall at North Carolina on Friday and has reportedly killed at least four people, including a mother and her infant.
Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm on Friday afternoon, but the National Weather Service warned that the conditions were still 'life-threatening'.
It will be several days before Florence runs out of steam as it makes its way across the Carolinas over the weekend. Already, powerful winds and rain have caused extensive damage, and many towns in the path of the storm have been left flooded.
Graham continued: 'Storm. Flood. Fire. Tornado. Disease. Famine. War. No matter the calamity, no matter the outcome, I want people who are suffering to know that God is their "refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
'You see, God's not just there for us when things are going well, or when we still have a home. He's there when the going is tough and the rug has been ripped out from under our feet – or soaked in the floodwaters.'
Chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, of which Graham is also president, are already in affected areas providing spiritual support to those affected.
Speaking on Fox News, Graham said an 'army of volunteers' would be needed in the coming week to get communities back on their feet in the wake of the storm.
He asked people to pray for God's protection over all those affected and invited people to sign up as volunteers to help out in the aftermath. Click here for more information about how you can volunteer