Title: Lutherans Assess Storm Damage in U.S. Great Plains ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 7, 2007
Lutherans Assess Storm Damage in U.S. Great Plains 07-080-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Preliminary damage assessments are under way after severe storms struck the U.S. Great Plains May 5-6. At least 10 people were killed and dozens of others were injured as storms spawned about 75 tornado touchdowns in Kansas and Oklahoma, according to Heather L. Feltman, executive director, Lutheran Disaster Response -- a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS).
"The majority of the media coverage for these storms has focused on Greensburg, Kansas," said Feltman. About 90 percent of the town's infrastructure was lost. Greensburg is closed except to its 1,500 residents and search and rescue teams. Disaster response volunteers are not being allowed access while the emergency phase of the disaster continues, she said.
Roger Kruger, Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator, traveled to the affected region May 7 to perform initial assessments and to connect with disaster partners in the area. On May 8 local Lutheran clergy and representatives from the LCMS Kansas District and ELCA Central States Synod will gather at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Pratt, Kan., to discuss the immediate and long-term needs of affected communities. Our Saviors Lutheran is a congregation of the LCMS.
"Lutheran Disaster Response is prepared to offer assistance, as needed, in the form of emergency hardship grants and spiritual and emotional care. Once the town has been reopened, we will also be working in coordination with local congregations to coordinate volunteer teams for debris removal and clean-up. Plans are being made for volunteer teams to begin working this weekend. After an initial assessment has been completed, we will help to organize residents in meeting long-term unmet needs and volunteer coordination will likely continue through the rebuilding phase," said Feltman.
"We lift up in prayer those who (have) lost loved ones and suffered property damage in this sudden and tragic event. With the understanding that the loss of life could have been much more widespread, we also offer prayers of thanksgiving for the warning systems that aided the residents of Greensburg in preparing for the incoming storm," she said. - - -
DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
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