wfn.org | Lutherans Provide Disaster Response after Spring Storms

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 7, 2003

LUTHERANS PROVIDE DISASTER RESPONSE AFTER SPRING STORMS
03-095-MR

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Changes of seasons are accompanied by
devastating storms, according to the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director of
Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  Lutheran
Disaster Response continues to help survivors recover from hurricanes,
tornadoes, tropical storms and other disasters across the country.
     Response to a disaster is often carried out by a local team
providing emergency supplies, offering pastoral care and counseling,
coordinating volunteer efforts in relief and rebuilding, and providing
grants to victims. This response is coordinated with other interfaith
and community efforts.
     Lutheran Disaster Response is active in:
     + Florida.  More than 100 homes were damaged, 23 destroyed, after
a tornado struck Liberty City, a district in Miami-Dade County, March
27.  Governor Jeb Bush described the area as one of the most
economically depressed communities in the state, Furst reported.
Lutheran Disaster Response is providing funds for recovery.    Lutheran
Social Services of Florida is managing the relief response.
     + Georgia.  Tornadoes killed six people and destroyed 75 homes in
Camilla, Ga., March 20.  Lutheran Services of Georgia is managing
disaster response.
     + Ohio.  Ice storms struck parts of the state Feb. 17.  The
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) received 2,184 applications
for assistance, Furst said.  FEMA has provided more than $2 million in
grants and low-interest loans.	The American Red Cross is managing about
100 cases.  Lutheran Disaster Response is participating in interfaith
recovery efforts in seven counties and providing funds for a caseworker.
Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio is managing the Lutheran
response.
     Lutheran Disaster Response continues to support recovery efforts
in:
     + Louisiana.  Last October Tropical Storm Isidore dumped a foot of
rain along the Gulf coast.  Hurricane Lili added eight inches of rain
and 100-mile-per-hour winds, Furst said.  Damage from Isidore is
estimated to be $70 million and Lili an additional $150 million, he
said.  Lutheran Social Services of the South is managing relief efforts.
     + Mississippi to Pennsylvania.  Tornadoes and wind-storms swept
through several eastern and southern U.S. states last November.
Lutheran Disaster Response continues to provide funds to support
recovery efforts in Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Tennessee.
     + Texas.  Flood damaged and destroyed homes and other buildings
along a 300-mile swath of central Texas last July.
     Other Lutheran Disaster Response recovery activities include last
year's fires in Arizona and Colorado, and floods in Mahnomen, Roseau and
Wright counties of Minnesota.  Disaster response continues in New York,
New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., following the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks in those areas, Furst said.
     Furst said the generosity of Lutherans "enables the church to
provide immediate response to new disasters and ensures that the church
will continue to bring light to others for the long haul."
-- -- --
DOMESTIC DISASTERS:

Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors
of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S.
Virgin Islands, please include:

ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764

Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via Internet: http://www.elca.org/disaster

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html