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Dear friends,
Yesterday afternoon I posted an initial report regarding our response to
Hurricane Floyd. As of this morning it apparently has not been delivered.
I am sending it again, because this disaster continues to unfold. I
apologize if you are receiving this for a second time.
An update to the following report is that the flooding continues in North
Carolina, and a full assessment will not be made until early next week. I
have also heard from folks in New Jersey that needs continue to arise.
Please know that we will be involved in bringing help and hope to those
affected in the name of Jesus Christ.
Here, now, is my report from yesterday.
Gil Furst
*** Start of original note ***
Dear friends in Christ,
"It could be worse" are words often heard from people affected by a major
disaster. But in the case of Hurricane Floyd, described by some as
"Hurricane Andrew's big bad brother," it indeed could have been worse. The
possibilities of major property destruction and tremendous loss of human
life from a hurricane with winds of 155 miles per hour over a 400-mile area
were terrifying.
I arrived in Florida the day before Floyd visited the coast and continued
northward. There, at a meeting in Tampa, I saw families that had fled for
safety. The 2-hour trip across the state took up to 7 hours, and exhausted
families wondered aloud about what would await them when they returned
home. I later spoke with a pastor in Georgia whose daughter traveled 14
hours to go from Savannah to Atlanta.
Yesterday morning Floyd's winds dropped to 110 mph, and came ashore near
Cape Fear, North Carolina. As the hurricane continued up the East Coast
and left through New England, torrential rains flooded small streams and
made roads impassible. Wilmington, North Carolina, received 19 inches of
rain, and Rocky Mount received more than 15 inches. Several places between
Virginia and New Jersey also were affected by up to a foot of rain.
Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry with Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod) stands ready to respond to the needs caused by Hurricane
Floyd. In calls to the ELCA Synod offices from Florida to New England
(sometimes referred to as the "Salt-Water synods") - as well as the LC-MS
District offices (by contacts from the LC-MS International Center in St.
Louis), the message is, "It could be worse." Although there were millions
of dollars in damage along the entire East Coast and at least 18 deaths as
a result of this massive hurricane, there is gratitude to God - God who is
present and acting in the midst of life, in the best and the worst of
times.
Assessments continue to be made, especially in areas where communications
have been disrupted and travel is hindered. Full damage assessment reports
still are pending from parts of North Carolina, Delaware, and New Jersey.
As I receive those reports, I will share them with you.
At this moment, volunteers from outside the affected areas are not needed.
The greatest needs are continuing prayers and offerings for emergency cash
grants. LDR will also be participating in the interfaith efforts being
coordinated by Church World Service.
Yes, it "could be worse." But for thousands, it is bad enough. God is
present and acting, even in the midst of the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd.
God is present through your prayers and financial support. God is acting
through those providing ministry and relief.
You can help now by keeping in your prayers our brothers and sisters who
have been affected by this hurricane. And you can help by sending
contributions to:
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response - "Hurricanes"
PO Box 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
LC-MS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810
Credit card gift line: 1-888-930-4438
In Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Sat, Sep 18, 1999, at 10:40 am)
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
*** End of original note ***
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Sat, Sep 18, 1999, at 10:55 am)
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
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