CHICAGO (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LCMS), is organizing recovery work in Ogallah, Neb., and east-central South Dakota, after storms destroyed homes and land; and in Somerset County, Pa., after nine miners were trapped underground for 77 hours.
A "sudden rainstorm" near Ogallah, Neb., on July 5 destroyed 55 mobile homes and five frame houses, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director, Lutheran Disaster Response. Lutheran "counselors were deployed immediately on the disaster scene," he said.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Omaha, is managing Lutheran Disaster Response relief efforts around Ogallah. A $5,000 grant was issued by Lutheran Disaster Response to assist with emergency needs and to provide Lutheran funding for groups organizing relief work in the community, Furst said.
On July 28 "a large supercell" moved across east-central South Dakota, Furst reported. "Wind speeds reached 80 to 100 miles per hour. The path of the damage was 20 miles wide and 60 miles long."
Most of the damage was confined to crops and trees, but several homes and farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in the communities of Oldham and Sinai, S.D., he said.
Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, is managing Lutheran Disaster Response recovery efforts there. Lutheran Disaster Response issued a $5,000 grant to assist with emergency needs and to provide funding for the unmet needs of people, Furst said.
Lutheran Disaster Response and Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries Inc., Holidaysburg, Pa., are providing counseling services for miners and their families in Somerset County, Pa. Nine miners were trapped 240 feet underground for 77 hours and rescued on July 28. "A $4,800 Lutheran Disaster Response grant has been provided for those affected," Furst said. -- -- -- 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:
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 NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
