wfn.org | Lutherans Support Relief Efforts in Typhoon-Ravaged Taiwan

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Title: Lutherans Support Relief Efforts in Typhoon-Ravaged Taiwan
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>September 2, 2009  

Lutherans Support Relief Efforts in Typhoon-Ravaged Taiwan
09-192-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan Aug. 7-9, was
the worst typhoon to strike the island in 50 years. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent a total of $25,000 Sept. 1 to
support the recovery plans of Lutheran companions there.

To date more than 540 people were reported killed and 117 others are
missing, said Megan E. Bradfield, associate director for international
development, ELCA Global Mission.

Bradfield said hundreds of people may still be buried under mud in
the southern part of Taiwan. Heavy rain following the typhoon produced
massive landslides, particularly east of Tainan in the village of
Hsiaolin, which is almost completely under mud, she said.

A reported 15,400 people have been rescued since the typhoon struck,
Bradfield said.

According to the Taiwan Lutheran Church, no congregations have been
seriously affected. The denomination is organizing recovery plans along
with its hospital -- the Chiayi Christian Hospital. Plans provide for the
medical, psychological and spiritual care of families and individuals
affected by the typhoon.

ELCA International Disaster Response sent $15,000 to support the
hospital's efforts and another $10,000 to support the church's response.

Short-term recovery plans include deploying medical teams to operate
roving health clinics, distributing sanitation supplies and
disinfectants, and providing post-trauma counseling and spiritual
guidance. Mid- to long-term plans include the continued dispatch of
medical care personnel, counseling and preparation for cases of the H1N1
flu or other infectious diseases.

"Chiayi Christian Hospital has always been at the forefront of
community care," said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for the Asia-
Pacific continental desk, ELCA Global Mission. The hospital's "outreach
into the affected communities in the Chiayi mountain areas reflect its
commitment to provide social services to those most in need of care," he
said.

The Taiwan Lutheran Church excels at mobilizing workers, Ishida
said. "One community in the Chiayi plain, severely affected by the
typhoon, does not have churches," he said. Glory Lutheran Church, a
congregation of the denomination, has "rented a house there and hired
staff to set up a long-term caring center to serve the residents of the
community" affected by the typhoon.

Ishida said the ELCA has worked with the Taiwan Lutheran Church in
previous disasters. He said both churches worked together in response to
an earthquake in Sichuan, China, in 2008. "It is only fitting that the
ELCA assist the Taiwan Lutheran Church in this time of great need," he
said.

Other companions of the ELCA -- the Sichuan Council of Churches in
China and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church -- are raising funds to
support typhoon relief efforts.

Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, International Disaster Response
channels its funds through international church organizations and relief
agencies. Funds provide for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency
shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters.
- - -

Information about ELCA disaster response is available at
http://www.ELCA.org/disaster on the ELCA Web site.

INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:

Editors:� When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors
of major disasters outside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S.
Virgin Islands, please include:
ELCA International Disaster Response, PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-
1764, 1-800-638-3522 and http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/idrgive on the
Internet.

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