ELCA News Blog
August 15, 2006
Lutheran Disaster Response Aids Flooded Areas in El Paso, Texas
by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service
Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) recovery efforts have begun in and around El Paso, Texas, after more than 15 inches of rain recently flooded the area and caused mud slides and falling rocks, said Heather L. Feltman, LDR executive director, in an Aug. 14 report. LDR is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
LDR is working with Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSSS), Austin, Texas, to assess the unmet needs in the area, Feltman said. Border Interfaith, an Industrial Areas Foundation network, has been doing initial assessments and organizing clean-up efforts. Peace Lutheran Church, El Paso, and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, El Paso, are members of this interfaith network, she said.
Some 1,500 homes have been damaged or destroyed, Feltman said. David Yarborough, LSSS senior vice president, reported that damage to Lutheran members' homes, as well as church buildings, seems to be minimal.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
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