The last week and a half have been a busy time for disaster response around the U.S. As wildfires continue to rage throughout Colorado, Montana and surrounding states, there have also been record breaking rainfall in Northeast Minnesota that led to flash flooding. Florida Tropical Storm Debbie drenched much of the state leading to rivers cresting past flood levels. Below is an overview of these disasters and how our church is responding.

Colorado Wildfires

Currently four separate wildfires have consumed over 20,000 acres destroying 600 structures and threatening thousands more. The fire has led to one death and a handful of injuries. It is hoped that all fires will be completely contained by the middle of July. The fires have also led to the evacuation of Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp, one ELCA pastor losing his home and one ELCA congregation having 95 percent of its members evacuated.

Our local partner, Lutheran Family Services of Colorado has activated its disaster response program and is assessing the situation. Much of this work involves connecting with local ELCA congregations and church bodies, like the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod, to determine the need and appropriate response. We are helping to evacuate several foster homes and are working with United Way to find alternative housing. Funds have also been disbursed to help Sky Ranch as they continue to host their outdoor ministry at a Presbyterian Camp. To learn more about the situation at Sky Ranch see the previous post Ministry Amidst the Flames.

Montana Wildfires

Wildfires are also threatening parts of the ELCA Montana Synod. The Rev. Amanda Liggett of Zion Lutheran Church in Roundup, Mont. said, “We’re doing alright. Lots of people have lost a great deal in the last 24 hours, but no human lives as far as I know.”

We are working with local partners to assist in the evacuation of two assisted living centers, one in Ashland, Mont. and one on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. In conjunction with St. John’s Lutheran Ministries and Lutheran Social Services of Montana, we are helping to provide food, toiletries and medical supplies.

Northeast Minnesota Flash Flooding

Last week Duluth experienced its wettest two days on record receiving over seven inches of rain in 48 hours. The affect was massive flash flooding that destroyed roads and homes, even picking up and moving vehicles. The city of Moose Lake was unreachable for five days because of high waters. In the early assessment much of the damage seems to be infrastructure, yet many basements are flooded and one member of the Northeast Minnesota staff lost their home. Hope Lutheran, an ELCA congregation in Moose Lake, was flooded but did not sustain any major damage.

Our local partner, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, is working to assess the situation and future needs. They are working through the United Way to coordinate volunteers and focusing on setting up and managing a long term recovery committee. This committee will help oversee the recovery until it is finished (a process of many months and possibly years). They are also working with ELCA congregation Hope Lutheran to host Camp Noah starting August 20th.

Tropical Storm Debbie Hits Florida

Tropical Storm Debbie brought heavy rains over many days that led to sporadic flooding and many rivers cresting above flood stage. Assessment is still on going as some rivers have still not yet crested. The state is reporting four fatalities associated with the flooding. There have been no reports of affected ELCA congregations or members.

Lutheran Services of Florida, our affiliate in the state, is continuing to stay connected with ELCA churches and church bodies in the area as they assess the situation. They have been  putting together flood buckets for distribution in more affected areas, like Hudson.

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While the hard work of first responders and local agencies continues please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers. Also pray for our local ELCA congregations, church bodies and affiliates as they continue their work of being church even in the midst of disaster. May God give them strength, patience and wisdom.

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

Today at 12:57 CST marks the one year anniversary of when the horns blew in Minot, ND and residents had to leave their homes. What followed was massive flooding of the Souris (Mouse) River that left many homes underwater for over a month. The timetable of the evacuation was constantly being updated as the amount of water continued to be higher and faster moving than expected. So many were still in the process of moving out their belongings when they had to leave. Though no one was hurt in the flooding many lost a great deal of their personal belongings.

Today and this weekend there will be many events within Minot and the neighboring town of Burlington to mark this occasion as these communities look to see how far they have come and where it is down the road they wish to go. Wherever that may be Lutheran Disaster Response, the domestic program of ELCA Disaster Response, will continue to be present as long as we are needed.

Please take a moment today to remember the people of Minot. Pray that they may see and take joy from the good work they have accomplished in this past year and that God may give them rest when they are weary and strength for the rest of the journey.

To learn more about how the ELCA has been involved in the last year please check out the one-year anniversary piece on the ELCA Disaster Response webpage U.S. Flooding – One-Year Later.

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

One way we understand our work in domestic disaster response is that wherever Lutherans are responding to a disaster — Lutheran Disaster Response is present. What is meant by this is that our church’s response to disasters are not solely the activities of the churchwide office or the program staff of Lutheran Disaster Response. All activities by Lutheran members, congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, camps and others allow the church to be church in the time of a disaster.

I was made of aware of a great example of this through the blog of Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp, near Fort Collins, CO. A week ago (June 12) the camp was informed that it would have to evacuate since the High Park Fire was moving in that direction. Though the camp was not in any immediate danger its main road was going to be shutdown to all but emergency vehicles. This meant the camp would have only one exit road, which is less than the two required for safety during a forest fire.

The staff had just finished orientation where they had gone over the disaster preparedness plans of the camp, which included evacuation procedures. So when they were informed at 11:30 a.m. that they had to evacuate they were ready to head out by 12:30 p.m. In an orderly way, the staff moved the campers and all their belongings onto the buses destined for Fort Collins.

Once in Fort Collins, the group was welcomed into Trinity Lutheran Church where they found impromptu housing and food provided from members of surrounding congregations and local restaurant owners who heard of their situation. In the words of Andy Sprain, the camp Associate Director:

“We were welcomed with open arms, with rooms around the building being transformed into cabins for the night. Once we all arrived safely, we spent some time in worship, cabin Bible study, and congregational time. We then sat down to a feast–with over 85 pizzas, plenty of salad, and cupcakes for all — donated by local restaurants.  Everyone had more than enough to eat.”

After this first day of camp away from camp, the staff and campers of Sky Ranch were welcomed at Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center located near Estes Park, CO. Here the work of Christ will continue in the lives of campers and staff alike, affected but not limited by the disaster.

This story is full of so many points worth mentioning it’s almost overwhelming. The value of disaster preparedness and having a plan for times of disaster; the outreaching of Trinity Lutheran Church, other local Lutherans and the community of Fort Collins; the fullness of the body of Christ in Highlands Presbyterian Camp creating space for fellow Christians in need. Whatever angle you take, this is the how the church is called to respond in times of disaster.

As the camp and its supporting congregations continue to move forward in their ministry this summer please keep them in prayer. Pray that God may sustain the staff in their changing context, that the lives of campers will continue to be touched and that the camp location and others threatened by the fire may remain untouched. May they continue to encounter what they have deemed the “Everyday Graces” of God’s people doing God’s work.

To find out more about the camp and their situation please check out: Sky Ranch Website and Sky Ranch Blog.

Poems of Hope from Kakuma, Rukiya Ibrahim, 19.

When The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was founded in 1947, its first service program provided assistance to refugees in Europe. Today the LWF continues to work with and for refugees and displaced persons, providing service and care for 1.2 million of the world’s refugees and displaced persons in Africa and Asia. In these camps, people from many nations live side by side seeking refuge from conflict and natural disaster.

The theme of the United Nations World Refugee Day 2012 is “one refugee without hope is one too many.”

A young Ethiopian woman, Rukiya Ibrahim, who lives in the LWF-managed Kakuma refugee camp, in northwestern Kenya, puts it powerfully: “when we do have hope that tomorrow will come and that tomorrow will come with a new change within itself, a new place to build you up, then that gives you hope to carry on.”

The ELCA, a member of the LWF, works as part of this 145 Lutheran member church communion which represents a total of 70 million members. This means that 70 Lutherans together take care of one refugee in this world.  As a member of the the LWF, the ELCA is dedicated to our vocation to uphold the rights of the poor and oppressed and promote dignity through our continuing work with refugees through ELCA Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger. Every person we serve has a history of struggle yet has hopes and dreams for the future.

On World Refugee Day, we are reminded of the suffering of too many people who are living as refugees and internally displaced persons in our world. But we are also reminded of the difference we can make by offering a basis of hope for the future through the efforts we participate in as a member of the Lutheran World Federation. 

As a meditation for the day, I want to leave us with a poem written by Rukiya:

Came as stranger
with lost hope
no home
and became your members

We found friends and family
a safe ground to stand
strength and a helping hand
a new life and a chapter to carry on

You made us see far
unlocked our potentials
with strength and hope
we stood firm

You took time and listened
came down and reached us
brought us to light
and exposed our hidden talents

We have dreams and visions
hopes and missions
to fulfil our live ambitions
and reach every hill top

Now we are up and strong
built on strong base
stand with every race
and move on same pace

Thank you for your continued commitment to serve and provide hope to those most in need.  ~ Megan Bradfield, Director for International Disaster Response, ELCA.

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

Mauritania and surrounding countries are continuing to experience growing drought. According to the UN Development Programme more than 15 million people in the Sahel region in Western Africa risk undernourishment. It also notes that though there have been many positive improvements in the area still more than a quarter of the population are still food insecure.

To help address this situation in a manner that best meets the needs and respectes the dignity of the people being served, the LWF has implemented a new approach. They, working with the World Food Programme, are providing 5,000 vulnerable families with cash to purchase food over a six-month period of time. Though for some this may seem like a risky venture the following quote from an LWF article about the situation makes a great point:

Mohammed Jiddou works for the WFP [World Food Programme] in Nouakchott and is responsible for the cash transfer project. He says the implementation of the project is faster than distributing food from abroad, which takes at least three to four months between the control and distribution to beneficiaries.

The program allows families most at risk the freedom to choose what foods they need. It also stimulates the local economy by guaranteeing the food is bought locally. And as can been seen from the quote above, in the midst of a disaster time is of the essence and this program gets food to people potentially months sooner than traditional methods.

To learn more about the program, how it run and how it is received, read the full LWF article: Freedom to Choose Food During Shortages

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

A new article in the Minot Daily News shares about the Camp Noah program that is coming to Minot this week and later in June to help children affected by the flooding last June as they continue to process and deal with the effects of the event. The article lifts up the work of the Western North Dakota syond (ELCA) and Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota (where Camp Noah was created). It gives a great overview of what a Camp Noah entails and how it has been received.

Read the article: Camp Noah helps children deal with flood disaster

Learn more about Camp Noah: Camp Noah

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