Since yesterday afternoon, we have been working very closely with many within in our network to prepare for a multiyear response to this disaster. We want to salute all who are involved in the emergency, rescue and relief work immediately following this terrible disaster. At Lutheran Disaster Response, we are committed to assisting the most vulnerable ones to recover and to find hope and healing over the long haul. We will be among the last to leave the areas, long after the limelight of media have faded. We ask you to join us in our mission.

In days and months ahead, we will use this forum to share with you information and stories relevant to this event. For now, we want to share with you the following links:

Worship Resources: http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship.aspx

Lutheran Disaster Response webpage: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Lutheran-Disaster-Response.aspx

Donation Webpage: https://community.elca.org/page.aspx?pid=840

E-Alert: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Lutheran-Disaster-Response/eAlert.aspx

 ELCA News Release: http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx#&&a=5296

Yet, the humbling gift of being present in those moments where the hope which cannot be contained shines through the actions of neighbor helping neighbor, whether next door or across the globe, is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. To witness as the church continues to be church in times of disaster, declaring “Here we stand. Our building and homes may be flooded, destroyed by earthquake, wind or rain, but we are not defined by this building. We are the body of Christ and whether we are at the cross or the tomb we lean on Christ and find comfort and the ability to comfort.”

As I think of this, two memories come to mind. First, are the words of Pastor Livenson, president of the Lutheran Church of Haiti: “We will not be defined by rubble but by restoration, for we are a people of the resurrection.” And the second is the worship of Peace Lutheran Church in Joplin, MO held in their parking lot the Sunday after a tornado destroyed their building. These bold words and actions, quietly spoken and solemnly engaged, stand for me as some of the truest examples of what defines church.

For these memories and the countless others that stand behind them, I am grateful. May God continue to bless this amazing ministry and the cloud of witnesses who find in this work the call God has put on their lives. Through your actions the love of Christ and the work of the kingdom have been made known. To this I add my most heartfelt Amen.

- Matthew Ley

I visited the areas impacted by Isaac about a month later. Plans were being made to help the families recover from the storm. The Monday after my visit, Super Storm Sandy hit the East Coast (October 29). Since then, the majority of the disaster community’s attention has been on our Sandy response. This past week, I returned to New Orleans to check on the state of the recovery after Isaac. You see, we at Lutheran Disaster Response are concerned about all those impacted by disasters; we are committed to helping communities recover even when they are not in the media’s attention.

Through our affiliate, Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSSS), we are working to provide disaster case management in two of the twenty-six Parishes receiving these services, namely St. Tammany and Washington. Washington Parish has some 27% of the households living below the federal poverty level and nearly 24% of the population has a disability. Due to all of the economic and storm related stress, St. Tammany has recently experienced a rash of suicides. So while there are other areas of need in the state, by focusing on these two Parishes, LSSS will be making a huge impact on the lives of those affected by Isaac.

Our local Program Director is Jessica Vermilyea. Jessica, along with Mark Minick from LSSS, has many years of experience working in the Louisiana area following Katrina. They are uniquely positioned to be able to navigate the complex nature of this recovery since many of the people impacted by Katrina were also impacted by Isaac.

Some of the unique challenges to this recovery work include the fact that homeowners are facing high deductibles, from 3 to 5% of the cost of their homes. Many of the people did not receive any assistance from FEMA because either they were not able to keep up their flood insurance because of cost, they did not know they had to do so, or because insurance companies are asking for Katrina repair verification before paying claims. This verification can be a difficult thing to come up with—how many of us can find all of our home repair receipts from 6 years ago?

Despite these challenges, Mark and Jessica are hopeful they will be able to help dozens of people with their recovery, help people return to their homes, help people find the new normal for their lives. While the country has shifted its attention to many other disasters, we at Lutheran Disaster Response US will not forget the people impacted by Hurricane Isaac—please join us in remembering these folks in our thoughts and prayers.

Members of local church responding to Sichuan Earthquake. Credit: CCC

The ELCA has been in communication with our partner in the region, the China Christian Council, and has committed $15,000 to the relief effort. The immediate response has involved the delivery of food, tents, quilts and medicine. Future plans are to organize the distribution of relief materials, medical services and psychological care.

One of those churches involved in the response is one of the ELCA’s companion in the region, Luzhou Church. This church has built up a response team through past ELCA assistance and was able to send immediate response teams of pastoral staff, hospital personnel and teams with rescue dogs. This is a great example of why we continue to engage in disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts with our companions around the globe. The ability to respond quickly, efficiently and fully can make the difference in how wide the damages of disaster affect a community.

Let us hold those affected and those responding on their behalf in prayer. May we also give thanks for the ability of churches like Luzhou Church to engage in disaster preparedness activities and their ability to quickly respond to the needs of their neighbors.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond locally and globally in times of need. Donate now.

Children in the Za’atri refugee camp play outside their newly installed winterized shelter. Credit: A. G. Riisnes/NCA

When we give a gift to say, Lutheran Disaster Response, it feels good. We most likely have read a story that made clear to us the need, connected with us and called us to action. Then we go on with our lives, work calls our attention, events with family and friends fill up our calendar; life keeps moving. Possibly from time to time we think back and wonder what may have happened with our gift. This is one of those times.

In January the ELCA, working through our membership in the Lutheran World Federation, responded to the needs of Syrian refugees in Za’atri camp on the northern border of Jordan. (see previous post) The main purpose of this need was around the harsh winter and its affects upon particularly children within the camp.

“We received the shelters during the rains, but before the snowfall. Our first night in the prefabricated shelter was the first night we felt safe and warm in Za’atri refugee camp.” – Omar Yaser, Za’atri camp resident

This effort made it possible for children and families to find warmth in the midst of the cold as well as a sense of peace and home in the midst of uncertainty and fear. And thus seemingly small gifts, easily forgotten, and seemingly commonplace items, like insulated walls and blankets, have been transformed into safe and potentially life-saving spaces for families in need. A true moment of neighbor helping nameless neighbor.

To learn more about this effort, check out the LWF post Winterization Kits Make Camp Life “More Bearable” for Syrian Refugees.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Our main reason for this change was to lessen the confusion which has existed between these two labels/brands of our disaster work. It is also a way of strengthening the connections between our work internationally and in the U.S. Though our responses around the globe may all be local the way the ELCA engages them includes some strong similarities whether in the U.S. or internationally. Being able to highlight this joint understanding of our disaster response work is something we are very excited about.

So please join us in lifting up and celebrating this new, and historic, way of identifying our work. To learn more, check out the newly redesigned Lutheran Disaster Response portion of the ELCA website.

In the past two years much work has been done, from immediate housing and feeding for affected individuals to debris removal and spiritual care for survivors and victims. With disasters of this scale the recovery will be one of many years, so as these individuals and communities continue to rebuild their new normal, let us today raise our prayers in solidarity and remembrance.

As we do so, one get a sense of the damage caused by the tsunami and the large amount of recovery work done is presented by The Telegraph newspaper in a series of photos of affected areas title Then and Now. In this small glimpse you can sense the gravity and immensity of the what people in the affected areas and those who have been working on their behalf have been dealing with. You can see the photos here:

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Photographs of Devastated Areas Then and Now

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond locally and globally in times of need. Donate now.

Camp Victor, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under the sun. Ecclesiastes 3:1

I had the chance to visit Camp Victor at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, twice in the last three months and was deeply moved by its leaders and the ministry each time.  Camp Victor in its current location was started by Christus Victor Lutheran Church in 2006 as the continuation of its disaster recovery ministry for communities affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita.  Not only has it been a sizable hospitality center, housing volunteers engaged in disaster recovery work, it has also been a service center providing case management and construction management for those deeply affected by the disasters. Here are some facts about Camp Victor: 

• It is housed in a county-owned 50,000 square foot box-shape building located in the middle of the tourist district of Ocean Springs, MS. It formerly belonged to the Swinger Garment Factory.
• It has dormitories and beddings for up to 250 volunteers.
• Through the years, it has received 50,000 volunteers from 50 states and 20 countries.
• Together, volunteers have provided 1 million service hours on more than 2,000 homes, translating into $19.5 million worth of labor.

Suzie Harvey in front of the art work inside Camp Victor

Walking into Camp Victor, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the wall to wall murals, signatures, drawings and artwork left behind by the thousands of volunteers, with many of them returning to the camp multiple times. Camp Victor is much more than a dormitory; it is a place of rest for those who labor to give of themselves for strangers. It is a place for gathering and connecting. Most importantly, it is a place where God’s love is shared, received and channeled.

Currently, Camp Victor is undergoing metamorphosis. With large scale post-Katrina recovery work winding down and funding drying up, Camp Victor no longer has the volunteer base to sustain itself. It will receive its last group of volunteers by the end of March and will vacate from the current 50,000 square feet warehouse by the end of May.

Suzie Harvey, Executive Director, and Jon Biggs, Director of Disaster Response

Afterwards, the Camp Victor ministry will move back to the Christus Victor Lutheran Church, and become a fully volunteer-run ministry.  It still has three tool trailers that are stocked and ready to be hauled to disaster affected areas with a moment’s notice. In addition, all useful equipment and materials will be stored in a container for future use. With the strong support of its Board of Directors, made up of leaders from Lutheran congregations in the area, Camp Victor will re-channel its focus to work with local congregations and community organizations along the Gulf Coast to step up their disaster preparedness. It will continue to be an important part of the ELCA Southeastern Synod’s disaster response ministry.

We want to express our deep appreciation to Suzie Harvey, Executive Director, and Jon Biggs, Director of Disaster Response, of Camp Victor as well as the many staff, volunteers and board members who have devoted their time and talents to make Camp Victor an extraordinary ministry throughout the years. Most of all, we want to thank God for this great ministry. May God continue to guide the camp’s leaders as they discern its future directions.

 From Left: Marriane Roberts, SALT Staff; Pr. Joe Chu, LDR; Pr. Elaine Berg, Conference Dean, Josh DeBartolo, Schoharie Recovery Inc. Director; Pr. Sherri Meyer-Veen, SALT President; Sarah Goodrich, SALT Executive Director; Ken Dingee, SALT Staff; Patsy Glista, Upstate New York Synod Assistant to the Bishop.

Committee meetings are rarely interesting material for storytelling. But how a meeting is conducted and how participants interact with one another during the meeting can help tell the bigger story of the personalities of those involved and the level of their collective accomplishments. In the past few months, I have had the opportunity to attend and observe a number of Long Term Recovery Committee meetings that seek to help those affected by disasters in various communities. I am truly amazed by how different these committees can be: Some are highly organized and effective and some are dominated by one or two strong personalities. Unfortunately, some are still finding ways to become a coherent body after a long period of time.The board meeting of Schoharie Area Long Term (SALT) at Cobleskill, New York, in the early morning hours of February 5, 2013, definitely belongs to the first kind – highly effective and exciting.

The Schoharie Basin, through which the Schoharie Creek flows, is an idyllic area with hilly meadows and small farmsteads in Upstate New York. When Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee ravaged the Northeast in August and September of 2011, the basin was hard hit with more than 2,000 properties affected. As the result, local governments lost an upward of 70% of their tax base. Soon afterwards, community leaders and faith-based organizations came together to form SALT – The Schoharie Area Long Term – to serve as a “…coordinating council or regional coalition in order to provide Interfaith and inter-agency resources, advocacy, healing, support, and recovery assistance to those affected by disaster.”

Several things stood out for me at that meeting. It was conducted in a very organized and effective manner; the meeting agenda and past minutes were well prepared and were sent to participants in advance. Pastor Sherri Meyer-Veen, the Chair of the SALT Board, chaired the meeting with grace and ease and was very good at inviting members to participate in discussions. Sarah Goodman, the Executive Director of SALT, was very knowledgeable and exhibited a high level of professionalism. Those in attendance were from all stripes of community leadership: business people, clergy, professors and government leaders, each representing their respective community needs and assets. The deliveries and discussions were very thoughtful and courteous – something that’s not always easy to accomplish, particularly in the very early morning hours. Undoubtedly, people around the table were highly accomplished professionals but yet no one tried to dominate the discussion. Instead, they tried to give of their best for the group and for those affected. At one point, members of the unmet needs committee presented a highly sophisticated decision-making flowchart to map how they make tough calls when considering requests from devastated local residents.

One of the things that struck me was that these leaders probably would not have been at the same table before Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee; but they rose up to the common challenge after the disaster and humbled themselves to work together to be a part of the whole for the sake of the shared future of their community. My subsequent meetings with the staff of SALT and other community stakeholders as well as my tours of the rebuilding projects confirmed these impressions.

The following are just a few of the points that helped me in forming this impression:

• Over 500 damaged properties received assistance from SALT and area partners and over 150 families have returned home.
• Over 120 faith based groups, 20 corporations, 35 schools, 15 labor unions and construction companies and 30 community service groups have volunteered.
• Over 25,000 volunteers have contributed 128,877 hours of labor worth over $4 million.
• The Fenimore Asset Management investment firm offered a $250,000 matching grant to SALT and the community was able to raise the sufficient fund to double this gift.
• Sarah Goodrich, the Executive Director of SALT, was named as the 2012 Times-Journal Star, a great honor for local residents.
• On the day of my visit, the Rev. David Meyers, Director of the Federal Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnership also visited SALT. SALT invited the media to talk to David Meyers, who represents the President Obama, as well as SALT leaders and representatives from various faith based organization. When Rev. Meyers was asked about how well he thought SALT was doing, he uttered a very important word, “Exemplary!”

We want to thank the many lay and ordained leaders of the Upstate New York Synod. It was my great pleasure to meet with some of them during my visits – Bishop Marie Jerge; Patsy Glista, Assistant to the Bishop for Operations; Gary Roller, Volunteer Coordinator; Pastor Elaine Berg, Dean of Foothill Conference, and many others. Through their tireless good work, Lutheran Disaster Response has been accompanying the residence in the Schoharie Basin since the beginning of the disaster response work in their community. In fact, LDR was among the first to support the creation of the SALT recovery group with a $45,000 initial grant for staffing and administration. This initial investment and subsequent grants have indeed yielded enormously fruitful results. Thanks be to God!

The Lutheran World Federation, of which the ELCA is a member, has been responding. In fact, the LWF was the first humanitarian actor to reach some of the more affected areas, helping to assess the extent of damage and needs in affected communities. The response has also involved distributing mosquito nets, blankets, kitchen equipment, water purification and hygiene kits. The LWF is also looking into supplying seeds to affected farms, since 40% of crops have been destroyed by standing flood waters. There has also been a spike in cholera cases in affected areas.

To learn more about the situation and the LWF’s response, check out their blog: Mozambique Floods Feb 2013.

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Gifts to ELCA Disaster Response allow the church to respond locally and globally in times of need. Donate now.