Many Needs To Follow Hurricanes, Says ELCA Disaster Response Leader

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- With Hurricane Frances approaching the Florida coastline three weeks after the devastation left by Hurricane Charley, human needs will "multiply considerably," said Heather L. Feltman, director for Domestic Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a partnership ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.
Lutherans will be present through the disaster response organizations to "offer help and hope" to people affected by both storms.
As of Sept. 3, Hurricane Frances' winds had strengthened again to 140 miles per hour. More than 2 million Florida residents were asked to evacuate their homes and communities. The storm battered the Bahamas Sept. 3 and was expected to hit the Florida coast Sept. 4.
"Many families are still without safe and weather-proofed housing," Feltman said. "Tarps cover roofs, windows are still boarded up, and debris litters the streets and neighborhoods of many communities impacted by Hurricane Charley."
Hurricane Frances is expected to cause much of the same type of damage to a "new area" of the state, and many of the same people whose homes and property were damaged by Charley will get hit again, she said.
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and LDR teams will be communicating with national and state disaster organizations during the Labor Day holiday weekend, Feltman said. The large storm will affect people living in the Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and beyond, she said.
"As information becomes available and the assessment phase is initiated, we will provide updates on what is needed and when," Feltman said.
For now, Feltman encouraged Lutherans to pray for those affected and offer monetary donations.
"ELCA Domestic Disaster Response efforts are funded entirely by designated gifts," she said. When a gift is designated, 100 percent of it is used for the disaster response, needs and assistance that follow a disaster, Feltman added.
Volunteers will be in "great demand" in the weeks and months ahead, she said. Volunteers may sign up online through Lutheran Services of Florida at http://www.lfsnet.org or by calling 813-676-9513. A list of needs and where to send in-kind donations can be accessed at http://www.volunteerflorida.org on the Web.

Presiding Bishop Offers Prayers, Support
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, wrote a letter Sept. 3 to the church asking God to grant "each of us courage, strength and generosity to respond to our brothers and sisters in their time of need."
"Amid the destruction and devastation of disasters such as Hurricane Charley and impending Hurricane Frances, we are assured of Christ's presence among us," Hanson wrote. "Bound together by our baptisms into community with each other, we offer our prayers and support to all who are affected by these disasters."
"We remember in prayer all those who give tirelessly of themselves, offering help and hope during this time of overwhelming need and loss," Hanson continued. "I am grateful for the dedication of God's people in this church, as they demonstrate Christ's compassion by witnessing boldly to God's love for all people through their helping hands and caring hearts."
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Information from ELCA Domestic Disaster Response about Hurricane Frances and Bishop Hanson's letter are at http://www.elca.org/dcs/disaster/hurricane.frances.html on the ELCA Web site.

DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid 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://www.elca.org/news