CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Hurricane Ivan, a powerful Category 4
storm with winds of more than 140 miles per hour, is taking aim
at Jamaica and Cuba, and is on track to hit the Florida peninsula
-- which would make it the third hurricane to strike the state in
one month.
Forecasters project the storm will hit Jamaica the night of
Sept. 10, Cuba on Sept. 12, and, if the storm remains on its
present course, Florida on Sept. 13. Ivan already did severe
damage to Barbados and Grenada, island nations in the western
Caribbean.
Since mid-August, residents in the Caribbean islands and
Florida have experienced deaths, injuries and moderate-to-severe
property damage from Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Frances.
Many members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
have responded with prayers and financial gifts to help Lutheran
Disaster Response (LDR), a partnership ministry of the ELCA and
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, respond to a variety of human
needs following these storms, said Heather L. Feltman, director
for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and LDR.
"The devastation has been substantial," she said of
Hurricane Frances in a Sept. 9 report. "As with Hurricane
Charley, many [people] have had significant damage to their homes
and personal property. Gas shortages, lack of power and
essentials have added to the stress and anxiety. Many persons
[affected by Frances] are those who had initially been affected
by Hurricane Charley just a month ago."
Frances Hits Grand Bahama, LDR Food on the Way
The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, director of communications,
Florida-Bahamas Synod, Tampa, reported "90 percent" of Grand
Bahama suffered damage from Frances. Grand Bahama is a strip of
land 96 miles long and only a few miles wide at its narrowest
sections, he said. An ELCA congregation, Our Saviour Lutheran
Church, is located in Freeport.
"We were the worst hit in the islands," said Janet Albury, a
member at Our Saviour. "The storm surge not only hit us, [but]
it went straight through the island."
Many homes and schools were severely damaged or destroyed,
especially in impoverished neighborhoods, Weitzel reported.
Power is out, there is little drinkable water and there are food
shortages, he said. The Freeport airport was closed until the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security could replace security
fencing, Weitzel said.
Gena Granger, Our Saviour congregation council secretary,
said the church's sanctuary appeared to be intact, though it
suffered roof damage and water leaked in two offices in a
preschool area.
Meanwhile Weitzel reported that $5,000 worth of wholesale,
discounted food will be shipped Sept. 11 to Freeport. Labeled
"Lutheran Disaster Response," Weitzel said the non-perishable
food items were gathered together and are being shipped thanks to
a contact between the Rev. David G. Mesenbring, ELCA chaplain,
Seafarer's House, Port Everglades, Fla., and a Lutheran who buys
food for cruise ships. Discovery Cruise Lines will ship the food
for free to Freeport. Members at Our Saviour will then distribute
the food to those who need it, Weitzel said.
"I am so excited about this!" Weitzel said. "What a happy
convergence of (resources)."
Work Still to be Done
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and LDR teams "are working
with other national agencies active in disaster response,
coordinating charter planes to the area to deliver needed food
and water," Feltman said.
Feltman said the disaster response teams are currently
involved in "recovery response" at several levels: completing
needs assessments; assisting people with paperwork and related
matters with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency;
providing mental health counselors and spiritual care counselors
to people in need; and providing a process for assisting with
"unmet needs" through LDR's affiliate agency, Lutheran Services
of Florida.
Prayers and monetary donations are the most important things
ELCA members can do to help, Feltman said. Gifts may be
dedicated to recovery efforts from these hurricanes or may be
undesignated to allow disaster response funds to be used in areas
where help is needed most, she said.
Volunteers will be in great demand in the months and weeks
ahead, Feltman said. Lutheran Services of Florida will
coordinate volunteers, she said.
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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
Information from ELCA Domestic Disaster Response about the
hurricanes is at http://www.elca.org/dcs/disaster on the ELCA Web
site.
Reports on specific congregations in the ELCA Florida-
Bahamas Synod affected by the hurricanes are at
http://www.fbsynod.org on the Web.
Volunteers may sign up online through Lutheran Services of
Florida at http://www.lsfnet.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.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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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
