ELCA Assesses Damage, Organizes Recovery After Hurricane Ivan

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continues to assess damage and participate in relief efforts after Hurricane Ivan struck the central Gulf coast of the United States Sept. 16.
"Hurricane Ivan is churning up the southeast after crashing ashore," said Heather L. Feltman, director of Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response. Lutheran Disaster Response is a ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The "death toll caused by Ivan on the U.S. mainland continues to increase as search and rescue teams assess the devastated areas. Ivan spawned many tornadoes as it came on shore and inundated many with more rain," Feltman said.
Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response are receiving "preliminary reports from the ELCA community and the community at large impacted by Ivan. A section of the Interstate 10 bridge in the panhandle of Florida collapsed. We have been notified that some ELCA churches are sitting in three feet of water. To date, ELCA pastors and their families have suffered no loss of life," she said.
Feltman reported that hurricanes have hit the agricultural sector of Florida's economy significantly. "Small citrus growers are out of business, and farm workers have lost their jobs. In central southwest Florida, an estimated 20 percent of the entire state's 800,000 acres of citrus crop has been lost. Regeneration of citrus trees takes several years. This will mean long-term hardship for many who work in this industry," she said.
Nearly three-quarters of the farm industry workers in Florida are "migrant" or undocumented people from the Caribbean, Mexico and South America, Feltman said. "Affected coastal and inland portions of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi are also home to many culturally diverse residents. Many of these communities are often poor and isolated with limited resources for recovery," she said.
Lutheran Disaster Response and Domestic Disaster Response continue to remain involved in "all levels of the recovery response," Feltman said. Both plan to continue damage assessment and coordinate with other disaster relief organizations; assist people with Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork and other issues as requested; provide spiritual care and mental health counselors; assist with unmet needs; and establish case management through Lutheran Disaster Response's affiliate agencies.
In a Sept. 17 letter to Lutherans living in hurricane-affected regions of the United States and Caribbean, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, wrote, "Know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You do not face the fear, the uncertainty and the devastation alone. We are with you ... and in our gifts to the Lutheran Disaster Response."

ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod Contributes
To support post-hurricane recovery efforts in the Bahamas and Florida, the synod council of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod voted Sept. 11 to give $10,000 from its reserves to Lutheran Disaster Response. The Metropolitan Chicago Synod and the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod are "partner synods" under a "companion synod" program of the church.
"The council decided to give the gift out of its own reserves because we wanted to extend our support to [members of] the Florida-Bahamas Synod," said Nanette Dahlke, vice president, ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod. "Being a partner means sharing in both joys and sorrows. We wanted a way to say to the people of the Florida-Bahamas that we are concerned about them."
According to the Rev. Paul R. Landahl, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod, the gift is a way of making the synod partnership more than just words. "Especially at this time, our hearts and prayers go out to those who suffered such devastation," Landahl said.
In addition to the $10,000 contribution, congregations of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod may contribute to the Lutheran Disaster Response Florida-Bahamas Hurricane Relief, and the synod will match 20 percent -- as much as $5,000 -- of all contributions up to $25,000.
Besides having a synodical relationship, said Dahlke, the challenge and matching funds give local congregations an opportunity to express their concern and support as well.

Lutherans Active in Grenada and Jamaica Following Hurricane Ivan
In Grenada the death toll has risen to 39 people, and the destruction to land and property is appalling, said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director for leadership development and mission personnel recruitment, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
About 90 percent of homes in Grenada have been damaged or destroyed, with many having their roofs ripped off. Electricity and telephone services are cut and shortages of food and drinking water have been reported, Ishida said.
In Jamaica 19 people have died, and there is large-scale damage to homes and infrastructure, Ishida reported. Many buildings had their roofs ripped off and have sustained flood damage. The most affected areas are rural areas in the western part of the island.
No casualties were reported in Cuba, due to the evacuation plan set up by the government. "Cuba has been pointed out as a model in hurricane risk management in developing countries by the United Nations," Ishida said.
The worst-affected areas in Cuba were Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud, an area historically connected with the Lutheran church, in the eastern part of the island, he said. They are also the same areas that were heavily affected by Hurricane Michelle in 2001, and Hurricanes Isidore and Lily in 2002.
Last month, Cuba suffered an estimated $1 billion in damages from Hurricane Charley that hit the Havana province, Ishida said.
In addition to Cuba, Grenada and Jamaica, Hurricane Ivan struck Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Grenadines, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Trinidad, Tobago and Venezuela.
Action by Churches Together (ACT) continues to assess the situation in the Caribbean. ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies that meets human need through organized emergency response. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Lutheran World Federation (LWF), both based in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of WCC and LWF.
The Caribbean Council of Churches, a member of ACT, is appealing for immediate contributions in response to the damage and destruction left behind by Hurricane Ivan. The council is waiting to make contacts with members in Grenada and Jamaica to start assessments, Ishida said.
_ _ _

The text of Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's Sept. 17 letter is at http://www.elca.org/bishop/messages.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

INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors of major disasters outside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
ELCA International Disaster Response PO Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764, 1-800-638-3522, or at http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/dcm/giving/idisaster.asp on the Internet.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news