Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 15:44:36 -0500 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Read stories for public news media about the ELCA <[log in to unmask]> From: News News <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Lutherans Participate in Recovery Work in Maryland, Michigan Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Lutherans Participate in Recovery Work in Maryland, Michigan ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 2, 2002 LUTHERANS PARTICIPATE IN RECOVERY WORK IN MARYLAND, MICHIGAN 02-106-MR CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), is participating in recovery efforts after a tornado killed three people in Maryland and after floods destroyed homes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On April 29 a tornado "tore through the Maryland community of La Plata," said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, LDR director. "There were two fatalities in La Plata, and one in Prince Frederick, Calvert County. The Charles County Sheriff's Office reported that 95 people were injured," Furst said. The tornado also damaged or destroyed about 100 homes in La Plata, a town with 6,000 residents. Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area is managing the LDR response in La Plata. The ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod and LCMS Southeastern District are participating in LDR recovery efforts there. "A record seasonal snow pack, ice jams, three inches of rainfall" and warm temperatures during this spring season caused rivers and streams to reach flood stages in Michigan, said Furst. Some of the "most affected cities" in Michigan were Ironwood and Wakefield, Furst reported. In Ironwood, 27 houses were damaged and five destroyed. In Wakefield, 80 houses were damaged and 33 were destroyed, he said. "Local Lutheran congregations have been at the forefront, providing meals for people evacuated from their homes and offering pastoral services to their communities," Furst said. The Rev. Joyce Heintz, All Saints Lutheran Church, Wakefield, told Furst "that people are returning to their homes. Most electricity and gas service have been restored. Now, the issues of loss and grief need to be addressed." Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, along with the ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod and LCMS Northern Wisconsin District, are managing LDR efforts in Michigan. -- -- -- DOMESTIC DISASTERS: Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include: ELCA Domestic Disaster Response P.O. Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764 800-638-3522 For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html