June 23, 2006
by Katherine R. Hinck

Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is seeking volunteers to aid in long-term hurricane recovery in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas this summer.

"Almost 10 months have passed since Hurricane Katrina, and another hurricane season is upon us, but the rebuilding work from the 2004 and 2005 storms is far from over," said Michael Nevergall, LDR associate for program interpretation. "Volunteers are important because there is still a lot of work to do. At this point we expect the cleanup and recovery effort from Hurricane Katrina alone to take as many as 10 years."

According to LDR policy, volunteers must be in good health and at least 16 years old. As recovery efforts transition from immediate relief to rebuilding, LDR is particularly looking for volunteers with backgrounds in construction or related trades. "The type of volunteers we need is changing because as time goes on and we're doing more rebuilding," Nevergall said. "We need people who have training in specific trades. Those skilled volunteers can then help coordinate and lead teams of less- skilled volunteers."

LDR is working in cooperation with Lutheran Social Services of the South, Lutheran Services Florida and Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri this summer. In the 18 months after Hurricane Katrina, an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people will have volunteered with LDR.

ELCA News Service
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.