Franklin Graham charity to rebuild house for Helene victims featured in N&O
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- Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse will rebuild a home for Hurricane Helene victims.
- The Tatums received minimal aid from FEMA and no insurance payout due to flood clauses.
- Construction may begin soon on higher ground near the river in Minneapolis, NC.
The NC-based humanitarian group Samaritan’s Purse will rebuild the house an Avery County couple lost to Hurricane Helene — a gesture that reportedly came after CEO Franklin Graham saw an N&O story about their plight while vacationing in Alaska.
Bob and Edwina Tatum fled their home in tiny Minneapolis just before Helene sent a wall of water down the North Toe River last September, and they returned to discover their home of 46 years smashed underneath a bridge.
They managed to escape with only their dogs, losing both their horses to the storm along with all their belongings, and took refuge with Edwina’s 95-year-old mother, who requires constant care.
After nine months and multiple promises to help, they received only $42,500 from FEMA — the maximum allowed to rebuild — and another $9,000 to replace what they lost inside the house. NC Farm Bureau Insurance denied their claim based on a lack of flood coverage, though they hired a meteorologist who reported 90 mph winds on their property.
The Tatums got by on help from local churches and friends, and last week, the N&O interviewed the Tatums on what is left of their property. In a video from Minneapolis, Bob Tatum declared, “They forgot us.”
The report caught Graham’s eye 4,000 miles away in Alaska, and on Tuesday, the Tatums got a call.
A top Samaritan’s Purse official from Boone told the Tatums Graham had called him to say, “Find these people. We’re gonna build them a house.”
“I was very, very frustrated and dejected,” said Bob Tatum, 75. “I was just down. Then Tuesday night, this happened.”
“We’ve been hanging by a thread for a while,” Edwina Tatum said. “But it was all God’s purpose.”
A blessing to the Tatums
Samaritan’s Purse confirmed the rebuilding in an email Thursday and said the N&O had brought it to their attention.
“We want the Tatums to know God loves them and hasn’t forgotten them,” said spokesman Mark Barber.
The Tatums said they have seen plans for a three-bedroom house to go on land they own near the post office on Minneapolis, and that work could start later this month.
It will be in sight of the river, which cuts through Minneapolis, but on much higher ground.
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This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 7:35 AM.