ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 7, 2006
Lutherans Respond to Severe Weather in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee
06-056-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Severe storms and tornadoes struck 15
counties of western Tennessee April 1-2, killing at least 23
people and injuring 75 others, 17 of them critically. Storms
also swept through Illinois and Missouri, adding to what has
already been a disastrous spring for the middle of the country,
according to an April 4 report from Lutheran Disaster Response --
a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod based here.
In Tennessee a tornado in Dyer County damaged about 150
homes, said Heather L. Feltman, executive director, Lutheran
Disaster Response, and director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response.
In Gibson County 40 people were hospitalized, 2,000 homes and
businesses were damaged, and 4,000 homes lost power, she said.
Churches in these counties that were not damaged became shelters
for people displaced by the storm.
In Missouri the storm killed four people in Dunklin County,
and one person died across the Mississippi River in Fairview
Heights, Ill., reported Feltman. "At least eight houses were
completely destroyed" in Dunklin, she said. Thousands of homes
in St. Charles and St. Louis were left without power for a full
day, and as many as 1,500 families have been displaced from their
homes in Caruthersville.
In central and southern Illinois recovery efforts continue
in response to severe storms and tornadoes that struck the area
three weeks earlier, said Feltman. About 250,000 homes were left
without power. Most of the damage in Illinois was concentrated
in Christian, St. Clair and Wayne Counties. Sangamon County has
received a federal emergency declaration for individual
assistance, and two disaster recovery centers have been
established for people eligible for help, she said.
Lutheran Disaster Response and its partners are taking part
in initial damage assessments and awaiting direction from FEMA
and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), said
Feltman.
"Lutheran Disaster Response is not considered a first-
responder to disasters. However, it is vital for our
organization, through our network of affiliated agencies and
local coordinators, to be in conversation with those who are
considered first-responders," she said. "Our Lutheran
congregations, integral members of the community, often provide
vital relief to people displaced from their homes," Feltman said.
Following a natural disaster, Lutheran Disaster Response
provides immediate assistance to people displaced from their
homes, communities and work, emotional and spiritual support for
those affected, care for caregivers, the coordination of
volunteers and long-term recovery response, and hardship grants
for Lutherans and others who need short-term assistance for
expenses.
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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/scriptlib/dcm/giving/ddisaster.asp
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
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