Friends in Christ,
Though Hurricane Isabel is downgraded to a tropical storm, we're not through
it yet. Flooding is a concern from Virginia to western Pennsylvania.
Forecasters anticipate Tropical Storm Isabel could cause up to a foot of rain
in West Virginia's rugged Eastern Panhandle.
The wake of the hurricane has been deadly. Presently the massive storm
system, spanned 700 miles, is blamed for 17 deaths in six states.
Lutheran Disaster Response is present and active with fellow voluntary
agencies and emergency management, throughout the impacted region. In North
Carolina, our partner is Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas working
with ELCA NC Synod and LCMS Southeastern District; in Virginia, our partner
is Lutheran Family Services of Virginia working with ELCA Virginia Synod and
again the LCMS Southeastern District. In Maryland, we're coordinating with
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and ELCA West Virginia and Western Maryland
Synod and again LCMS SE District, and in West Virginia with Community
Lutheran Partners.
Presently we're in the stage of rescuing life and securing infrastructure.
Road systems have been washed out, power is slowly being restored and
shelters hold high occupancy. President Bush has declared 26 counties in
North Carolina as federal disaster areas and 31 counties in Virginia. Damage
assessments are presently being conducted to determine the extent of the
damage in the northeast section of North Carolina and the southeast section
of Virginia, though accessibility into areas remains tenuous. According to
FEMA Director, Michael Brown search and rescue teams are still operating
along the Outer Banks.
Please keep in your prayers those who are mourning for the lives lost in
this storm, those who are shifting through the debris and wondering where to
begin and those who are withstanding the rains and winds of Tropical Storm
Isabel.
LDR will be responding to Isabel through our two Lutheran denominations -
Please send your contributions earmarked for "Hurricane Isabel" to:
ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1794
Credit card line: 1800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via the web, and also to download a disastergram:
www.elca.org/disaster
LCMS World Relief
PO Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810
Credit card line: 1888-930-4438
For a resource guide, the second revision of "Prepared to Care" (a booklet
for pastors to use in the wake of a natural caused disaster) is also
available now on the Lutheran Disaster Response website (www.ldr.org).
God be with you all -
Johanna Olson
For Lutheran Disaster Response
Lutheran Disaster Response is a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LCMS.
8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Phone: 773-380-2822; Fax:
773-380-2493. Please visit our websites: www.ldr.org and
www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
|