CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Telephone service in Ladysmith, Wis., was restored last week, helping residents and people responding to severe damage to the city's downtown area following a Sept. 3 tornado. The telephone service had been disrupted by a bolt of lighting that struck at the same time as the tornado.
Telephone lines started to function Sept.11, said the Rev. Robert D. Berg, bishop of the ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Rice Lake, Wis., in a telephone interview.
"It is only now that figures and requests are starting to come in as to what the needs for the people are in the area after the tornado," he said.
According to the Rev. Jeffrey P. Pedersen, Hope Lutheran Church, Ladysmith, "the tornado left about 100 businesses and homes damaged, leaving hundreds of people homeless." "The damage was mostly confined to the business district of the community, where many roofs and water towers have been affected," he added.
"Dozens of people were injured," said Pedersen. "From the destruction caused by the tornado, we feared that many people had died, but we are thankful to God that no deaths were reported."
"Hope Lutheran Church has been providing food and shelter for displaced people," he said. Pederson was not certain how many people were displaced.
"Volunteers from different congregations have been coming in to offer assistance," he said.
Staff of the Lutheran Social Service (LSS) agencies have been responding from the beginning, working closely with the local pastors, congregations and with staff from Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. -- -- --
*Diana Mavunduse is a communicator with the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. This fall she is serving as a volunteer with the ELCA News Service.
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, 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
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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
