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Dear friends in Christ,

I would not associate the sound of lapping waves and vast stretches of
water with North Dakota.  But this is exactly what Johanna Olson (Assistant
for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response) and I experienced as we visited the
Devils Lake area last week.

In recent years Devils Lake has risen over 21 feet.  The '96-'97 blizzards
added to the lake's volume, increasing it from 40,000 surface acres in 1993
to 108,000 surface acres in 1998.  Almost 1 million trees are destroyed and
220 roads lie under water.  The result: over 250,000 acres of land have
been lost or affected, forcing multi-generation farm families to quit.
Nearly 100 homes of the Spirit Lake Tribe have had to moved or destroyed.
A double earthen dike surrounds the town of Devils Lake.  The town of
Minnewaukan was 8 miles from the lake-now water laps at its buildings.

It was incredible to fly over this huge lake, looking down on fields half
under water, seeing a farmhouse on a small island instead amidst fields.
It was disheartening to stand on a roadbed raised fifteen feet and look
across a flooded farmyard, with buildings and equipment in the lake.

We met with farm families, area pastors, the county Emergency Manager and
county Commissioner.  Bishop Rick Foss (Eastern North Dakota Synod-ELCA),
District President Norman Sincebaugh (North Dakota District-LCMS), Tony
Ingle (president of LSS-ND), and Bonnie Turner (LDR disaster coordinator
for ND) accompanied us.

Over 1,000 houses have water seepage or mold problems.  There are insects,
contaminated wells, and sewer backups.  And there are psychological
problems of mental stress, economic shifts, and changing attitudes towards
life.  "Many are just giving up," we were told.  "I'm tired of fighting the
water, the weather, the insects...."  One man said, "The water is now
within three blocks of my home.  We're going to leave."  A pastor described
the anger and frustration of in his members, and added wryly, "People are
fishing where we were mowing lawn in our back yard last year."  An elderly
couple on the Sioux reservation described losing their house and all their
furniture.  Now they live in temporary housing, waiting for a new house to
be built.

Our church is present in Devil's Lake, as Lutheran Disaster Response
continues responding to the 1996-97 blizzards and storms.  LDR is providing
support with counseling staff and social workers.  We are working with
other faith groups, finding resources for people, especially the
vulnerable.  You and I are here, as we join our prayers and offer long-term
support for a situation that continues to unfold.  "The Red River Valley
had its flood," one farmer told us.  "The water rose and dropped.  Our
water is still rising.  We need your help."

Please continue your support, so help in God's name can be extended over
the long haul.  Keep in your hearts and prayers these people who are losing
their homes, their farms, their communities, in this slow-motion on-going
dilemma.

 ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
 PO Box 71764
 Chicago, IL 60694-1764

In Christ,
Gil Furst


GILBERT B. FURST  (written on Thu, Aug  6, 1998, at  1:40 pm) Director,
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response (Division for Church in Society), Lutheran
Disaster Response (A cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LCMS) 8765 W.
Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631  PHONE: 773-380-2822  FAX: 773-380-2493 Visit
our website:  www.elca.org/dcs/disaster