July 11, 2006
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We continue to learn more about the extent of the damages to the
northeastern portion of our country, where heavy rains have caused
serious flooding in recent weeks. Help is needed for those who have
been affected, many for the second or third time in as many years.
The worst conditions seem to be in Pennsylvania, in communities along
the Delaware River and its tributaries. Bucks County in eastern
Pennsylvania has suffered once again while many people in the area
continue to clean-up and rebuild from past flooding. Volunteer crews
are being assembled in Bucks and Montgomery Counties to perform
muck-outs and clear debris from affected homes.
In Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area, several Lutheran
Church--Missouri Synod congregations were affected by the flooding. In
addition, Bethany (LCMS) in Salisbury has experienced serious problems
with mold which grew quickly as the flooding subsided. Two counties in
Maryland have been declared as eligible for federal assistance.
In New Jersey, a community in the Trenton area called The Island was
heavily damaged as it experienced flooding for the third time in 18
months. Much of the low-income housing in this area is now completely
uninhabitable, and police just recently ended a 10-day occupation of the
area for enforcement and safety. Elsewhere in the state, at least 54
homes in Stockton were heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Warren,
Hunterdon, and Mercer Counties have all been federally declared as
disaster areas by FEMA.
Volunteer efforts have already begun in many of these affected areas,
and volunteer information will be available on the Lutheran Disaster
Response website at www.ldr.org. Financial resources will also be
needed to sustain the long-term recovery in these regions.
In the midst of this tragedy, many areas have reported a sense of some
relief that dams and levees held and were not breached. In this case,
we emphasize the need for communities to create and execute preparedness
plans for those times when they may be affected more severely. We
certainly rejoice with those areas which have been spared while we
continue to lift up the affected communities in need of a respite from
this sort of tragedy.
In service,
Heather L. Feltman
Executive Director, Lutheran Disaster Response
Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
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