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To: [log in to unmask] Dear friends in Christ, I would not associate the sound of lapping waves and vast stretches of water with North Dakota. But this is exactly what Johanna Olson (Assistant for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response) and I experienced as we visited the Devils Lake area last week. In recent years Devils Lake has risen over 21 feet. The '96-'97 blizzards added to the lake's volume, increasing it from 40,000 surface acres in 1993 to 108,000 surface acres in 1998. Almost 1 million trees are destroyed and 220 roads lie under water. The result: over 250,000 acres of land have been lost or affected, forcing multi-generation farm families to quit. Nearly 100 homes of the Spirit Lake Tribe have had to moved or destroyed. A double earthen dike surrounds the town of Devils Lake. The town of Minnewaukan was 8 miles from the lake-now water laps at its buildings. It was incredible to fly over this huge lake, looking down on fields half under water, seeing a farmhouse on a small island instead amidst fields. It was disheartening to stand on a roadbed raised fifteen feet and look across a flooded farmyard, with buildings and equipment in the lake. We met with farm families, area pastors, the county Emergency Manager and county Commissioner. Bishop Rick Foss (Eastern North Dakota Synod-ELCA), District President Norman Sincebaugh (North Dakota District-LCMS), Tony Ingle (president of LSS-ND), and Bonnie Turner (LDR disaster coordinator for ND) accompanied us. Over 1,000 houses have water seepage or mold problems. There are insects, contaminated wells, and sewer backups. And there are psychological problems of mental stress, economic shifts, and changing attitudes towards life. "Many are just giving up," we were told. "I'm tired of fighting the water, the weather, the insects...." One man said, "The water is now within three blocks of my home. We're going to leave." A pastor described the anger and frustration of in his members, and added wryly, "People are fishing where we were mowing lawn in our back yard last year." An elderly couple on the Sioux reservation described losing their house and all their furniture. Now they live in temporary housing, waiting for a new house to be built. Our church is present in Devil's Lake, as Lutheran Disaster Response continues responding to the 1996-97 blizzards and storms. LDR is providing support with counseling staff and social workers. We are working with other faith groups, finding resources for people, especially the vulnerable. You and I are here, as we join our prayers and offer long-term support for a situation that continues to unfold. "The Red River Valley had its flood," one farmer told us. "The water rose and dropped. Our water is still rising. We need your help." Please continue your support, so help in God's name can be extended over the long haul. Keep in your hearts and prayers these people who are losing their homes, their farms, their communities, in this slow-motion on-going dilemma. ELCA Domestic Disaster Response PO Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764 In Christ, Gil Furst GILBERT B. FURST (written on Thu, Aug 6, 1998, at 1:40 pm) 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