ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 19, 2007
Lutheran Disaster Response to Expend $8.3 Million for Hurricane Response
07-024-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In 2007 Lutheran Disaster Response -- a
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod -- is expending $8.3 million
in response to the 2005 hurricane season. Since that season
Lutherans have raised more than $26 million to organize and fund
recovery work.
According to Lutheran Disaster Response, the 2005 hurricane
season yielded 26 "named storms," 15 of which were hurricanes
that caused total insured losses of more than $47 billion. Among
the most powerful storms were Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita
and Wilma, which caused widespread destruction in Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Lutheran Disaster Response is overseeing the expenditure of
the contributions. In consultation with Lutheran social ministry
organizations, annual operating budgets are prepared each
calendar year, according to Heather L. Feltman, executive
director, Lutheran Disaster Response, and director, ELCA Domestic
Disaster Response.
Lutheran Disaster Response's core components include
hardship grants -- supplemental cash grants to displaced people,
spiritual and emotional care, volunteer coordination, and long-
term recovery (rebuilding) and case management. Hardship grants
are provided in the first 60 to 90 days after a disaster.
To help carry out its core components, Lutheran Disaster
Response operates with a network of Lutheran social ministry
organizations across the country. In 2005-2006 Lutheran Disaster
Response provided $7.2 million to more than 20 Lutheran social
ministry organizations which were assisting with the needs of
survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
For 2007 "the total budget projection for our 2005 hurricane
response is $8.3 million," said Feltman. "The recipients of the
$8.3 million will be Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc.,
and Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri," she
said.
Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc., Austin, Texas,
"is serving Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi," said Feltman.
Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri, St. Louis,
"is serving Alabama," she said.
Katrina Aid Today
Lutheran Disaster Response received more than $7 million
from "Katrina Aid Today" -- a national case management consortium
administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the
United Methodist Committee on Relief. The funds for this were
international contributions sent to the United States, Feltman
said.
Case management is one of Lutheran Disaster Response's core
components. The consortium includes nine nonprofit organizations
working to provide long-term case management to hurricane
survivors.
As one of the nine organizations, Lutheran Disaster Response
is providing case management to survivors of Hurricane Katrina
through eight Lutheran social ministry organizations serving
Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi,
Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington,
D.C. Social ministry organizations have provided case management
services to approximately 5,704 households to date through
Katrina Aid Today.
A report, "Lutherans Respond: A Progress Report on the
Response to the 2005 Hurricane Season" was issued in 2006 by
Lutheran Disaster Response. The report is available at
http://www.ldr.org on the Lutheran Disaster Response Web site.
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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/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
