Lutherans Plan Recovery Efforts after Granite Falls Tornadoes

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response has provided a $10,000 initial grant to Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota to help manage recovery efforts in Granite Falls, Minn., after 13 tornadoes struck the town on July 25. Lutheran Disaster Response is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
The tornado killed one person. Initial assessments indicate that 100 homes were destroyed and more than 230 others were damaged in a=20 40-block area in Granite Falls, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director = of Lutheran Disaster Response.
Staff of Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota are working with Lutheran pastors in Granite Falls and staff of the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Redwood Falls, and LCMS Minnesota South District, Burnsville, to provide emergency assistance and support for tornado survivors.
"Immediate needs and damage assessments will continue," said Furst. "Local volunteers are being coordinated to help with the initial clean up efforts," he said.
Members of Granite Falls Lutheran Church, a congregation of the ELCA, are providing meals three times a day for the community, said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, bishop of the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod.

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DOMESTIC DISASTERS:

Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors
of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S.
Virgin Islands, please include:
Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html