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Dear Christian Friends,
Lutheran Disaster Response, a cooperative ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is
responding to a deadly tornado that affected the northwest Wisconsin
village of Siren on Monday evening, June 21. The category F-3 tornado
(with winds up to 206 miles per hour) damaged or destroyed about 120 homes
in this town of 900 residents as it cut a twenty-mile-long, half-mile-wide
path of destruction.
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (Robert Duea,
Director) is managing LDR efforts. An interfaith response organization
will be formed, and local Lutherans will participate in that effort.
LDR/LSS-WI has teams of "First Responders" on hand to do assessments and
assist with mental health crisis outposts. Bishop Robert Berg (Northwest
Wisconsin Synod, ELCA) and Lee Belmas (Care Ministry staff, North Wisconsin
District, LCMS) have visited the area and met with local Lutheran leaders.
At the moment volunteers are cutting fallen trees, and local congregations
are providing shelter, food, and other basic needs.
Local cleanup volunteers are needed. Individuals or groups must be
self-reliant - bring your own food and water, bring work boots and gloves,
shovels, rakes, etc. Local volunteers should not plan to eat or stay
overnight in Siren. There is a volunteer staging area at the Burnett
County building on the north side of town (1 mile north of Hwy. 70 and 35).
Phone: 715/349-2171 or 715/349-2173.
You can support the survivors of this latest disaster with your prayers.
Please lift up petitions for the safety and well being of those affected,
as well as for those who are responding. Your donations will help the
church offer God's help and hope now and for the long haul.
Send your contributions to:
ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via the web: www.elca.org/disaster
LC-MS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810
Credit card gift line: 1-888-930-4438
Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Thu, Jun 21, 2001, at 1:25 pm). Director for
ELCA DOMESTIC DISASTER RESPONSE (Division for Church in Society) and
LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS)
8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493
Please visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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