Relief efforts continue after Hurricane Helene ripped through numerous U.S. states last week. Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have all suffered fatalities and damage. But as first responders and volunteers assist in the road to recovery, it’s becoming clearer by the day that the road ahead will be both long and strenuous.

According to BBC News, the current death toll has reached approximately 175 people, “making it one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States this century.” However, the outlet added, “Hundreds of people are still reported missing.” As Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, explained on “Washington Watch” during Tuesday’s episode, many of the communities hit by Helene are “struggling to pick up the pieces while lacking food, water, and power” in regions that are “not necessarily accustomed to this type of natural disaster.”

“People are broken,” said Kristi Brown of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, in a comment to The Christian Post. “People right now don’t even know where to turn for the basics. We probably need mental health professionals in here, because everyone’s going to probably have some PTSD from this. People are hurting, but they need to know people care.” This puts a spotlight on the first responders who “continue to do the relief work, the restructuring, [and] the rebuilding,” Perkins noted. Additionally, “Among those responding … is Samaritan’s Purse [SP]” an organization that is putting immense effort into aiding those affected by the storm.

SP’s headquarters are located in Boone, North Carolina, which was also hit significantly by the hurricane. Earlier this week, Franklin Graham, president and CEO of SP and son of the late Billy Graham, along with former President Donald Trump, visited areas hit by the disaster to get a sense of the destruction.

“Here in the mountains,” Graham said, “We have so much flooding. It’s … almost biblical when you see what’s happened.” He went on to detail the damage, noting how the wind and tree damage has “compromised,” “destroyed,” and “cut into” roads, and “whole communities are without water, without electricity, without cell coverage. There’s just no communication.”

Graham continued, “I’m 72 years old,” but even those who have “been around a lot longer than me” have “never seen or even heard of anything like” what this storm did to the area. “[I]t’s … almost like it’s a thousand-year flood,” causing so many to be stranded. Additionally, the flooding requires the relief organizations to use helicopters to fly in water and other supplies. “[W]e’re doing what we can,” Graham stated, “but the need is huge.” Even with roughly 900 volunteers, “we just need more volunteers” — such as those “who come in for the day and work and come back the next day and do it again.”

“This is going to be a long-term process,” Perkins added. To which Graham responded, “Yes, yes. Long term. No question.” And because of the fact that weeks, months, and years will likely go into these recovery efforts, Graham addressed the need for prayer. “[A]ll of our responders are tired [and] worn out,” he sighed. We “need to pray for them.”

“We’re grateful for you,” Perkins concluded. “[We’re] praying for you and your whole team.”