July 2, 2003

CHICAGO - Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS), is organizing recovery efforts after tornadoes struck Minnesota and Nebraska, and after forest fires broke out in parts of Arizona this month.

Zion Lutheran Church, Buffalo Lake, Minn., lost half of its roof and may have sustained other structural damage after a tornado cut through the city June 24, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director of Lutheran Disaster Response. Zion is a congregation of the ELCA.

"Because the building is too large to cover with tarps, church members and others spent time June 25 removing pews, furnishings and anything else that is salvageable. At this point, no decision has been made about where the people of Zion will meet for worship and other church activities," said Melanie Josephson, director for disaster response, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, St. Paul. She said the church's parsonage also sustained damage but the pastor and family are all safe.

Josephson reported that Buffalo Lake officials estimate that the tornado destroyed five homes and damaged 65 others in the city. "It does not appear that the area will receive federal disaster designation," she said. Disaster response for the Lutheran community will be coordinated by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Redwood Falls.

On June 22 tornadoes struck the Coleridge and Deshler, Neb., areas, said Furst. Curtis D. Papenhausen, 70, a member at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Coleridge, died as a result of the storms. Funeral services were held June 27 at Immanuel, a congregation of the ELCA.

In Deshler, home to 879 people, damage assessments have shown nine homes were destroyed, 15 have major damage and 39 have minor damage, Furst said.

The tornadoes produced "considerable floods" in Hubbell, Neb., he said.

Lutheran Disaster Response's relief efforts are being managed through Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Omaha. "Initial concerns are for the coordination of local volunteers, clean up efforts and pastoral care," Furst said. "Two Lutheran church facilities are being used by the American Red Cross for shelter and food distribution."

Forest fires broke out north of Tucson, Ariz., June 17, said Furst. "Since then more than 300 structures in the small town of Summerhaven have been destroyed, over 100 of them permanent homes of local residents," he said.

As of June 25, the blaze was only 25 percent contained, Furst reported. There are some "hopeful signs" that the fire is running out of fuel, he said.

Lutheran Disaster Response's recovery efforts are being managed through Lutheran Social Ministry of the Southwest, Tucson. Initial relief efforts include counseling, job coordination and case management. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, based in Minneapolis, is providing funds to support the recovery response, said Furst.

ELCA News Service