May 7, 2003

CHICAGO - 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."

ELCA News Service