CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Early reports from Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) coordinators in northwest Florida and coastal Alabama indicate that most residents and their property got through Hurricane Dennis "fairly unscathed with some minor damage," said Heather L. Feltman, director, Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response.
The storm damage was not nearly as great as when Hurricane Ivan hit the area 10 months ago, she said. That storm caused the deaths of 29 people in the Florida Panhandle and caused some $7 billion in property damage across the South.
Hurricane Dennis, with winds of 120 miles per hour, came ashore July 10. "LDR coordinators have been out looking at how we might assist communities that have been 're-impacted,'" Feltman said. In some areas there is significant flooding and many residents in the region will be without electrical power for several days, she said.
LDR is beginning the process of coordinating volunteers to help the affected communities recover, she said. Volunteers are needed to help remove debris and protect homes. Specifically, volunteers must be able to operate chain saws, and others are needed to get on rooftops and cover them with tarps, Feltman said.
Meanwhile, LDR coordinators will continue to work with synod bishops and district presidents to assess needs in the wake of the storm. Feltman said she is traveling to the area this week.
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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
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
