January 22, 2009

CHICAGO – Disaster response work continues in Haiti, after tropical storms and hurricanes in the fall of 2008 killed more than 790 people and left 310 others missing. On Jan. 8 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $75,000 to support recovery efforts that will help hundreds of thousands of families there.

The storms destroyed more than 22,700 houses and damaged 84,625 others, said Megan Bradfield, associate director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission.

"As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is exceedingly vulnerable to the devastations of weather. With a devastation of crops and livestock, food security threatens the stability of families and communities," said Bradfield.

ELCA International Disaster Response sent the funds to Action by Churches Together (ACT) for implementation by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Haiti. ACT issued an appeal for funds to further recovery activities there. ELCA International Disaster Response provided $25,000 soon after the storms struck Haiti.

The LWF, a member of ACT, is focusing its recovery activities in Vaudreuil-Moleart, Foret-des-Pins, Cabaret and Bokozel, Haiti. Little relief work has been done in these storm- affected areas, said Bradfield. Response teams are distributing clean water, food and hygiene kits to families in these areas. The distribution of agricultural supplies, such as seed and cash-for-work programs, will help to provide economic stability to farmers, she said.

The LWF also plans to help reconstruct roads, repair schools and water systems damaged by the storms, Bradfield said. An estimated 30,000 people living in Haiti's rural areas will benefit from the LWF's disaster response plan, she said.

ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide. It is based in Geneva with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the LWF. The ELCA is a member of the WCC and the LWF.

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.

ELCA News Service