Disaster Response in Alabama

Last spring, Alabama was hit hard in a devas tating outbreak of tornadoes. Members of ELCA congregations, including Rich Edmondson of All Saints Lutheran Churchin Huntsville and Kay Spence of Messiah Lutheran Church in nearby Madison, quickly went to work to serve their neighbors.

Kay: On Sunday morning after the tornado, our congregation talked together about what we as a congregation could do to help. I offered to take a van load of donations to a smaller town nearby. Well, you volunteer for one thing and you know what happens next.

Rich: After the power came back on, All Saints’ intern pastor, Charlie Underwood, asked me to help investigate how the congregation could be active in the long-term recovery process. We contacted Lutheran Ministries of Alabama, our statewide partner with ELCA Disaster Response, and they put us in touch with the local Interfaith Mission Service.

Kay: When Messiah heard that Rich was gathering the Lutheran congregations in the area to share ideas on our response to the disaster, I was asked to go.

Rich: One of the programs the Interfaith Mission Service was starting was the FEMA Form Brigade—which we think is groundbreaking. Never before has a citizen group approached FEMA asking to help register people affected by a disaster in our area. But with only 60 days to complete the registrations, there wasn’t much time to get the program designed and organized.

Kay: I volunteered for the FEMA Form Brigade. The next thing I knew, I was named site coordinator for one of the five areas in our county where the Brigade would go to work. Here’s how it works. Each area has a group of volunteers assigned to find out whether homeowners have registered with FEMA. If not, we offer to help them do it.

Rich: We are proud that our handful of volunteers from two small congregations have contacted nearly every one of the 200 residences in our area.

Kay: The FEMA Form Brigade has volunteers from several congregations and denominations, along with individuals who want to help. Everyone is so willing to help.

Rich: I believe we were called to do this work, and that the cooperation of so many Christians working together is evidence of that call.

Kay: We are all members of the body of Christ—hands, arms, feet, eyes and ears—working together to get the job done!