We often speak about our domestic disaster response work being done through a network of affiliates. The following is a great example of what this looks like in practice.

Lutheran Family and Children’s Services (LCFS) of Missouri, a Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) affiliate, was not directly affected by Hurricane Sandy. Yet because of the strength of the LDR network which includes our membership in coalitions like, Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN), a member of their disaster response team has been able to help in the response. The data manager for LFCS’s Disaster Case Management Program, Don Emge, was asked by the national staff at CAN to help with development and case manager training.

Using his experience from working in Missouri, which has been affected by a series of disasters including the tornado in Joplin last May, Don is working with the Red Cross and FEMA to mobilize efforts after Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. He is helping to initiate new case management programs up and refining training procedures so that as many as a hundred new case managers can be up and running. He is also keeping an eye on making sure the work they set up now can easily transition into the long-term recovery efforts.

So in a short while Don’s two week deployment will come to an end and he will return to Missouri to again engage in his good work there. Yet, the effects of his time will be felt, though perhaps not recognized, for years to come. And so the body of Christ works, through the relationships of a network, going when the call is raised, and working in quiet ways to bring hope and healing.

We thank Don and all those countless others who are a part of this network, through your actions, financial support and prayers. May God continue to bless this work.

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

As the newest member of the Lutheran Disaster Response team at ELCA churchwide office, I am in a unique position to appreciate the complex process and the “ecological system” of disaster response from various perspectives. I can easily put on the hat of a regular concerned citizen and a consumer of news during this time…and I do. In the last few days, I have been “devouring” news about every moment of Hurricane Sandy. The wrenching stories of our fellow citizen fighting for their lives through the stormy night, the epic winds, flooding and destruction, together with the heroic actions of the firefighters, police and national guard have kept me fixated on the TV and computer for hours on end. If that were the only hat I wore, I know Hurricane Sandy would be out of my mind when the next news cycle came around in a few days.

But as a part of the Lutheran Disaster Response team, I have the privilege to wear another hat, the hat of someone who is a part of a wider community which is determined to accompany affected individuals and communities on their road to recovery. The work we have done as a team in the churchwide office these last few days is not really what you would describe as “sexy”. We have spent a lot of time talking with folks who have been providing relief and care for others while also working through their own shock and loss; these are our church leaders as well as leaders of social ministry organizations affiliated with our church. We have participated in numerous conference calls with our national partners – the Red Cross, Salvation Army, NVOAD, FEMA, the Methodists and Presbyterians, just to name a few. In close collaborations with numerous units and departments within the churchwide organization, we are finding ways to refine our communication and fundraising strategies, and the list goes on. While we judiciously share resources with our affiliates on the ground to support their relief work as first responders, we are also preparing to embark upon the usually less dramatic yet crucial aspect of disaster response – long-term recovery.

It is indeed a privilege to be able to see and appreciate the disaster response process from multiple perspectives. Disaster response is not just what happens the few days or months after a disaster. Accompanying those affected on the road to recovery is a long and at times difficult process. We are very grateful that in our country we have an elaborate and developed system, which functions much like an “ecological” system; this system includes actors from all sectors – the public and private as well as faith-based organizations, civic societies and engaged citizens. We are appreciative that Lutheran Disaster Response is able to play a role in this system. While on a national level we specialize in long-term recovery, through our network of affiliates and churches around the country we are able to engage locally in actions immediately after a disaster.

Please join us in this ecological system of disaster response; for I believe that it is not simply a human ecological system, but is God’s ecology. For most of us this call is not for immediate action on the East Coast, as responding agencies work to stabilize the situation. Yet we can all be a part of this ecology in faith as ardent prayer warriors, as donors, and eventually as volunteers for long-term recovery.

And, please do not forget our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean, in areas of the world that do not have as extensive of a response system that we have in this country. Hurricane Sandy has played havoc on them as well. They too are in need of our prayers and resources. Thank You.

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

The situation in Syria continues to show up in our news. Usually it is a quick description of the conflict within the country or perhaps coverage of the geo-policital implications of these events for the region and the world. In the midst of these important, and often tragic, stories there is another narrative playing out involving Syrians looking for safety and resources, a journey which is increasingly taking many them across the border into neighboring countries. As the fighting within the country continues and intesifies this group is growing, rapidly.

So as I was reading through some reports on the refugee situation this past week I was struck by some of the numbers 700,000, 75 and 52. Initially they are just numbers, like any other scattering of statistics that help make up our news cycle. These numbers help give us context and help us as we work to determine appropriate response. What struck me was what do these numbers mean in the context of our call to respect human dignity in the course of our work. What are we to do with these three numbers and the situation they describe as we strive to accompany people in ways that respect their human dignity? And now the numbers.

700,000
Accorcding to a recent United Nations’ report the anticipated number of Syrian refugees by the end of this year has jumped from 100,000 (a number surpassed in July) to 700,000. This massive increase will put extra strains on Syria’s neighbors, who continue to keep their borders open to Syrians fleeing the violence. This strain will need a call for renewed commitment to keep the basic needs of human dignity in the forefront of any response. For our church this call will help in our partnership role through the Lutheran World Federation as it works to coordinate the Za’atri refugee camp in northern Jordan.

75
Part of the context of this work is that 75-percent of Syrian refugees are women and children. This means that many of those arriving in the camps are not only escaping violence and arriving with very little, they are also arriving as separated family units. In the midst of making sure children are getting enrolled in classes and families are getting proper nutrition and medical attention, responding through the matrix of human dignity also means creating space for the emotional and spiritual well-being of these new arrivals. As the Lutheran World Federation helps at Za’atri these are some of the concerns it brings to the work; to make sure the needs of both arriving refugees and host communities are being addressed.

52
In Za’atri one of the other realities is that 52-percent of arrivals are under 18 years old. Many arrive to the desert climate with very little in the means of heavy clothing, an unacceptable situation as they move towards the cold months of winter. Also with the rising numbers the need for educational and recreational space and activities increases. The Lutheran World Federation is working to provide winter-proofed tents and clothing for these children and their families as well as working to organize community-based groups within the camps to help them name and address their needs.

In the end these numbers help paint the picture of an evolving situation, one where the church is working to be vigilant and present in its calling to care for the least of these. And one where we work to make manifest the reality that all are created in the image of God and are to be treated with the dignity that image carries.

To learn more about where these numbers come from and the situation in general you can read the UNCHR and LWF reports.

• UNCHR: UNHCR and partners seek extra US$295 million for Syria refugee ops
• LWF: Preparing Syrian Refugees in Jordanian Desert for Harsh Winter Months

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

Since 2001, the month of September has been designated by the U.S. government as National Preparedness Month. The purpose of this event it to highlight the importance of being ready in the case of a disaster. To help in this effort, the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up the site www.ready.gov to help people walk through what they consider the three steps of disaster preparedness: (1) build an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan and (3) be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses. To help set people see the power of preparedness they put together this interesting map of past disasters: Today is the Day Before.

The events of this past week with Hurricane Isaac making landfall on the Gulf Coast exactly seven-years after Hurricane Katrina serve as a double reminder of the importance of preparedness. Hurricane Katrina for the affects of non-preparedness and Isaac for how preparedness can and hopefully will continue to make a difference. Preparedness is not mean as a gaurantee that disaster will not reach us, but is meant to allow us to lessen the affects of disaster upon our lives. So that if we are affected we can respond appropriately, efficiently and effectively.

This is a big part of what ELCA Disaster Response, internationally and domestically (through Lutheran Disaster Response), is focused on doing. We are here to help people prepare for risks in their area and to respond when these risks (seen and unseen) become reality. So as we continue into this month please take time to create or re-check your family’s and your congregation’s emergency preparedness plan. Also, please consider gifts to ELCA Disaster Response to help us in our work of disaster preparedness and response.

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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 of the roles of the ACT (Action by Churches Together), of which the ELCA is a member, is to focus on issues of climate change. Since the changing climate affects the frequency and severity of disasters, it it important to keep a keen eye on how the climate is change as well as the impacts of that change.

Within this conversation an important point is making sure all voices are heard. A recent article posted by the ACT Alliance shares how climate change is viewed in Central America. The article also takes a sobering look at the interaction of ‘green economics’ and human rights.

I’d recommend giving Climate justice: People want real alternatives not false solutions a read. It’s short, powerful piece sharing a perspective we don’t always get to hear.

Two years ago today the largest earthquake in over two hundred years struck Haiti. Mixed with the already impoverished conditions of the country, the powerful quake left 220,00 dead (including ELCA seminarian Ben Larson), 300,000+ injured and 1.5 million homeless. The immediate response was overwhelming in size and scope as relief agencies around the world began to respond and people began to give. In the ELCA alone more than 13 million was given through ELCA Disaster Response.

Yet, as the full extent of devastation became known, people realized that much more was at play here than the aftereffects of a major disaster. Part of the issue was that relief work is focused on bringing people back to normalcy as they put their lives back in order after a tragedy. In Haiti the “normalcy” prior to the earthquake was over 70% of the country living on less than $2/day, 86% of the people in the capital Port-au-Prince living in slums where half of the city had no access to latrines and only one-third had access to clean water. As people began relief (short-term) efforts they quickly realized their actions could also contribute to development (long-term) opportunities in the country.

Haiti relief efforts has become a watershed moment in how we understand disaster relief and international development as part of a holistic response. As we look back today in somber remembrance of those lost and the lives impacted by this tragedy, I believe it a fitting tribute to see what we have learned about creating better capacity to mitigate the effects of disasters and learning how to connect this work with longer-range development.
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