Dear friends in Christ,
Clean-up and relief efforts continue throughout the Midwest and Southeast, as
additional
severe spring weather adds tornadoes and floods to previously affected
communities. In
my last report I shared with you an update from Larry Gustafason
(LDR-Missouri),
where Lutheran Child and Family Services (Alan Erdman, President) is managing
the
widespread Missouri response.
Today I want to share an update from Christine Iverson (LDR-Kansas), where
Lutheran
Family Services of Nebraska (Ruth Henrichs, President) is managing the Kansas
efforts.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Christine writes >>>>>>>>>>>>
By now, both the southeast and southwest corners of Kansas have been hit hard
by
tornadoes. The major areas of concern are in the Kansas City, Kansas, area,
southeast
Kansas, and southwest around Kismet and Liberal. The Red Cross statistics so
fare
indicate over 1,253 houses affected.
However, those statistics have been shown to be low compared to actual
damage,
especially in rural areas. In Crawford county, the list of 38 houses with
"major to
destroyed" damage came up for discussion. Was that all the total of affected
houses? A
person from the sheriff's department said that didn't include any homes with
"minor"
damage. When asked to define "minor" damage, he said, "Well, there was a
home with a
motorboat through the living room window. That was minor. It didn't make it
to the
list." One of the tornadoes in Cherokee County was on the ground for 26
miles,
destroying houses and farms. In Crawford County a tornado was on the ground
for 16
miles. The small village of Ringo had 38 of its 40 homes destroyed. The
town of
Franklin was about 80% destroyed (with well over 100 houses gone), and the
small town
of Mulberry was also similarly affected. These are the areas where most of
the storm-
related deaths occurred in Kansas.
The counties in southwest Kansas hit by a May 15th tornado have also been
added to the
Federal disaster declaration. Over the weekend concern has surfaced for the
many
undocumented families brought in by the area meat packing industry. It is
estimated that
200-300 families have been affected. Many of them live in mobile homes and
received
the most damage and loss. Language and cultural barriers, and fear of INS
involvement,
are impairing efforts to help those affected. It is important for people to
know that they
can register and receive disaster help without the INS being notified or
involved in any
way. Long-term recovery for the area will need involved Lutheran and
interfaith efforts
to reach all members of the communities affected by the disaster. No one
deserves a
disaster and everyone needs help to recover.
In Carl Junction the United Methodist church choir was meeting for rehearsal
when the
storm hit. A woman got a tornado warning call on her cell phone. They went
outside.
Many wanted to get in their cars and go home for shelter (the church had no
basement).
They watched the tornado come up the hill at them. Bob Simon directed
everyone into
the inner restrooms for shelter. As the tornado hit the building, a four
year-old yelled out,
"Lord God, you can take me to heaven, but I don't want to die!" The church
was
destroyed, but blessedly, no one inside was hurt.
The amount of counties and the area involved - and storms that continue to
hit the same
areas - have complicated efforts for response. But the Church is involved
for the long
haul. Into the midst of death and disaster, the Church brings the message of
hope as we
work together towards recovery.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>
To volunteer in southeast Kansas, call 1-800-489-8183
To volunteer in the Carl Junction and Smithfield area, call Pat Smith,
417-649-6062 (fire
dept.) or 417-623-7541 (home).
Send your financial suppot to:
ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response - "Midwest Tornadoes"
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 and Human Care -"Midwest Tornadoes"
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 Sun, June 1, 2003, at 1:10 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: 773-380-2719 FAX: 773-380-2493
Please visit our websites: www.ldr.org www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
___________________________________________
Gilbert B. Furst
Director for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response (Division for Church in Society)
and
Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS)
Phone: 773-380-2719 FAX: 773-380-2493
Please visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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