ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 13, 2008
Lutheran Disaster Response Issues Statement on Midwest Flooding
08-088-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR)
has issued a June 13 statement regarding recent and current
flooding in several Midwest states -- Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
LDR is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod.
Here is the text of that statement:
June 13, 2008
One right after another, terrible storms have left indelible
marks this week on individuals and communities across the
Midwest, and it seems as though the news headlines have
continually focused national attention on the region. As
the long effort of cleaning up and rebuilding begins,
Lutheran Disaster Response is poised to bring help and hope,
and to walk side by side with those affected.
This week, Michael Nevergall, LDR associate, and Cindy
Johnson, LDR coordinator for Minnesota, traveled to Iowa
to assist LDR coordinator Michael Stadie with assessments
and response there, and to accompany leaders from the ELCA
Northeastern Iowa Synod. At the same time, Rev. Kevin
Massey, LDR Director, traveled to Wisconsin to accompany
leaders in the ELCA La Crosse Area and South-Central
Wisconsin synods during these trying times.
Major flooding continues to spread south through Iowa, with
Des Moines and other cities now under a voluntary evacuation.
Across the state, fifty-four different counties have been
declared state disaster areas. The city of Cedar Rapids is
nearly at a stand still, with water rising into the 500-year
flood plain and the downtown completely flooded. The ELCA
Northeastern Iowa Synod has postponed its synod assembly,
scheduled for this weekend in Waverly, due to the difficulty
of traveling on roads throughout the state. At least two
Lutheran camp properties are under water and a number of
Lutheran congregations have been directly impacted.
In Wisconsin, where we saw stunning video of the water
powerfully leaving Lake Delton and ripping homes apart in
its path, the waters continue to rise across the southern
portion of the state. Farm fields throughout the region
are completely under water, raising questions about the
long-term economic impact of these floods on the region's
agriculture. Highways throughout the state are closed,
making travel nearly impossible. Similarly, in Indiana,
thirty counties have been declared as disaster areas, with
waters still rising in portions of the state. Flooding
also is affecting, or threatening to affect, communities
in Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.
Additionally, two major systems of tornadoes swept through
portions of Iowa and Kansas this week, including the storm
that killed four Boy Scouts at a camp. Scherer Memorial
Lutheran (ELCA) in Chapman, Kansas sustained severe damage
to its building, and the entire town is completely shut off,
even to residents, at this point.
Today, Bishop Bruce Burnside of the ELCA South-Central Synod
of Wisconsin traveled around the affected areas with Rev.
Massey and Gary Grindeland, LDR coordinator for Wisconsin.
In describing the impact of this flooding on his synod and
congregations, he related the importance for the church to
meet this new challenge. "God's gift of this water seems
to now be our enemy, but we are reminded that out of the
waters, new life is born," he said. "God tamed the chaos
of the waters to form the earth, and God, in Jesus, calmed
the stormy seas," said Bishop Burnside.
In addition to your prayers, we invite you to consider giving
to support the long-term response to this disaster. You can
donate through your congregation, or you can give a gift
directly by mail, by phone, or online. If you would like
to designate your gift for this response, please be sure to
note it for "Flooding - United States." Gifts designated
for a particular disaster will be used in full -- 100 percent
-- for that response.
- - -
Information about Lutheran Disaster Response is at
http://www.ldr.org/ on the Web.
DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid
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,
Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via Internet: http://www.ELCA.org/disaster
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
