Title: Lutherans Respond to Severe Weather in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 7, 2006
Lutherans Respond to Severe Weather in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee 06-056-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Severe storms and tornadoes struck 15 counties of western Tennessee April 1-2, killing at least 23 people and injuring 75 others, 17 of them critically. Storms also swept through Illinois and Missouri, adding to what has already been a disastrous spring for the middle of the country, according to an April 4 report from Lutheran Disaster Response -- a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod based here.
In Tennessee a tornado in Dyer County damaged about 150 homes, said Heather L. Feltman, executive director, Lutheran Disaster Response, and director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response. In Gibson County 40 people were hospitalized, 2,000 homes and businesses were damaged, and 4,000 homes lost power, she said. Churches in these counties that were not damaged became shelters for people displaced by the storm.
In Missouri the storm killed four people in Dunklin County, and one person died across the Mississippi River in Fairview Heights, Ill., reported Feltman. "At least eight houses were completely destroyed" in Dunklin, she said. Thousands of homes in St. Charles and St. Louis were left without power for a full day, and as many as 1,500 families have been displaced from their homes in Caruthersville.
In central and southern Illinois recovery efforts continue in response to severe storms and tornadoes that struck the area three weeks earlier, said Feltman. About 250,000 homes were left without power. Most of the damage in Illinois was concentrated in Christian, St. Clair and Wayne Counties. Sangamon County has received a federal emergency declaration for individual assistance, and two disaster recovery centers have been established for people eligible for help, she said.
Lutheran Disaster Response and its partners are taking part in initial damage assessments and awaiting direction from FEMA and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), said Feltman.
"Lutheran Disaster Response is not considered a first- responder to disasters. However, it is vital for our organization, through our network of affiliated agencies and local coordinators, to be in conversation with those who are considered first-responders," she said. "Our Lutheran congregations, integral members of the community, often provide vital relief to people displaced from their homes," Feltman said.
Following a natural disaster, Lutheran Disaster Response provides immediate assistance to people displaced from their homes, communities and work, emotional and spiritual support for those affected, care for caregivers, the coordination of volunteers and long-term recovery response, and hardship grants for Lutherans and others who need short-term assistance for expenses. - - - DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid 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/scriptlib/dcm/giving/ddisaster.asp
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog