In the U.S. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29th, 2012 in New Jersey. That makes yesterday 101 days since this event and I figured it was a good time to check in with where we’re at with the response. Now some people really do better with process and others prefer stories. So I’m going to present this in two ways: first by looking at where we sit in the “typical” flow of a disaster response and then by sharing the story of Lutheran HealthCare in New York and how they’ve been affected and responded to Sandy. Feel free to read both or to jump to your preference.

By the Numbers
Those experienced with disaster work like to use a simple tool for explaining the process of disaster response known as the “Rule of 10”. This rule states that as you move through the first three phases of disaster response (incident, immediate response and recovery) the average individual or community will take ten-times longer to move through next phase than it took to move through the previous one. The incident phase is focused on securing safety and involves activities like rescue and first responders. The immediate response phase is focused on setting a secure foundation and involves activities such as assessment, demolition and initial clean up. The recovery is focused on helping people and communities regain their new sense of normal and involves activities like muck out and rebuilding. The benefit of volunteers increases as you move through these phases, with recovery being the greatest phase of volunteer impact.

For Sandy, most people were in the incident phase for two weeks (14 days), meaning the average length of immediate response will be 140 days (4.7 months) and the average length of recovery will be 1400 days (3.8 years). When you add in the nor’easter that hit the region in November, the holiday season and the potential snow storm hitting the east coast this weekend, the definition of what is “average” begins to change and the movement through phases can slow down. So as we sit at 102 days out, the average person and community is about 90 days into the immediate response phase, working to set the firm foundation upon which they can rebuild. Each community and individual was affected differently, so those really affected by the external circumstances may be still in the earlier parts of immediate response while others may already be transitioning into recovery.

Yet wherever a community or individual is at they are their because of the amazing efforts made by individuals, many who will forever remain in the shadows, who have stepped up to give of time, talents and resources. Which brings me to the second part of this post.

Lutheran HealthCare
Lutheran HealthCare is situated in southwest Brooklyn, NY and is no stranger to this churches disaster response work. After the massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Lutheran HealthCare raised nearly $12,000 to support relief efforts their. They also took in many Haitians because of the strong Haitian presence in their already diverse staff of around 5,000. So when Sandy struck they responded, receiving in evacuees from the surround community. And though scattered throughout the five boroughs of New York City with closed roads and shutdown public transit and over 100 employees personally affected by the storm, staff were finding any means necessary to get to work, like $50 cab rides. Many of the staff were working double and triple shifts, sleeping at the hospital, yet making sure needs were being met.

And this generosity was not just from the staff to the community but internal as well with over 250 days off (about $75,000 worth) transferred between staff to members who had destroyed or damaged homes. They also had a massive amount of internal in-kind donations of needed items. They have also raised over $40,000 in financial donations, which were seeded by Lutheran Disaster Response. They also hosted 2 prayer services and support groups through mid-November.

As they and their community move through the immediate response phase they are continuing to be present by offering crisis counseling through Project Hope, a program of FEMA, and case management to help individuals navigate the opportunities for recovery available to them. As they move into recovery they will continue to be there, because really they were already their, living and working in the community to which they belong. And this is the strength of our work, that wherever we respond we are responding locally, from within the community on behalf of the community.

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

A new situation report giving an update on the situation in the northeastern United States and Caribbean as well as the ELCA’s response is now available. Some of the highlights are the joint Lutheran World Federation-ELCA delegation which visited New York and New Jersey in late November/early December as well as the strong outpouring of support from ELCA members, with donations topping $2.4 million. Please help us spread the word of how the ELCA is engaged in the response and what people can do to help.

Here is a link for your convenience: Hurricane Sandy Situation Report #3 (January 11, 2013)

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

More than a century ago, Crisfield, Maryland, was the “Seafood Capital of the World.” Although its commercial fortune has declined through the decades, it is still a very beautiful small seaside city along the eastern shore of Maryland. On October 29, Crisfield and the surrounding county of Somerset were hard hit by Super Storm Sandy.. Hundreds of homes were damaged and destroyed. Yet, unlike their neighbors in New York and New Jersey, they have been largely overlooked by the media.

In mid-December 2012 I had the opportunity to visit Crisfield, hosted by Pastors Cindy Camp, Phil Huber and Thom Sinnott, our LDR affiliate in the area. On this trip I was able to listen to and learn from local residents and leaders about how they have responded to Sandy.

As is the case with disasters, some of the problems after the event are not really new but are heightened issues which existed prior to the disaster. A couple of these I learned about in Crisfield, were in regard to its demographics as one of the poorest and most ethnically segregated areas on the eastern shore of Maryland. Nearly 20% of residents live below the poverty line (as compared to 9% statewide) and over 42% are African American. This has led to a significant amount of ethnic tension which runs the risk of creating more roadblocks on their road to recovery; Some of the ways this potentially plays out in communities are that the most vulnerable often do not have access to adequate information on how to seek help. And the segregation between groups often prevents the formation of effective Long-Term Recovery Groups, which are the backbone to disaster recovery in communities.

Yet, as is also the case in disasters, there resides the opportunity for the Spirit to break through and new opportunities and ways of being to emerge. One such occasion in Crisfield is work of our affiliates Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and Lutheran Partners in Disaster Response (LPDR). These organizations, were active in this area soon after the storm connecting with the community. Spearheaded by Pastors Phil Huber and Thomas Sinnott, they have also worked diligently to reach out to the different ethnic, religious and civic groups within the community, with the goal of facilitating the formation of a Long-Term Recover Group.

This hard work has begun to pay dividends when in December the Somerset County Long Term Recovery Committee was formed with a membership that truly represents the diversities of the community. This group will work in collaboration to other civic groups, government agencies and churches to provide case management, volunteer support and other vital function to assist families and individuals affected by Sandy on their road to recovery. Our hope and prayer is that this committee will not only be an effective community based organization helping affected residents and family to find their “new normal,” but will also be a forum for community members to have meaningful discussions about their common challenges and shared future.

On this last day of the year, many people take the time to reflect back upon the past year. I would like to take a few minutes to do so as well.

My first thoughts go to those who were impacted by disasters. Along with my thoughts, my prayers are with them. While we have had some very large disasters, ones that were in the news for many days at a time, I also want to remember the “small disasters.” No matter the size of the storm, to those they affect, they are huge and life changing.

I think of those who volunteered. So much of disaster recovery work is done by volunteers, and most of the time, there is little recognition of them or their efforts. One only needs to look at the smiles of a family able to move back into their home after a disaster to know the value of volunteers and how much they are appreciated.

I also think of those who are part of the Lutheran Disaster Response network, especially the local coordinators. We simply cannot do our work without them as they are the “boots on the ground” that provide the local connections so essential to effective recovery efforts.

None of us knows what disasters will come in 2013; we hope and pray they are few and far between. But when a disaster does strike, we at Lutheran Disaster Response will be ready to provide a measure of help, hope and healing through our network and volunteers.

As many of us are still struggling to make sense of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, I have been reflecting on what it means to truly be present for people in the midst of their tragedy, to walk with them, to accompany them. These questions brought to mind the recent ELCA delegation to the East Coast to express our solidarity with those affected by Superstorm Sandy.

From November 30 and December 2, the delegation visited communities and congregations affected by Superstorm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. What stuck out to me and what made this visit particularly momentous was that it is the first time in our church’s history where the delegation was accompanied by leaders from three Lutheran church bodies from around the world. Representing the Lutheran World Federation as the “living letter of comfort and hope” were the Bishop Elisa Buberwa of the Northwestern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania; Bishop Cindy Halmarson, of the Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; and the Rev. Dr. Veikko Munyika of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.

As a member of the ELCA delegation, I feel particularly honored to have had the three leaders riding with me during those four days. It was a privilege to get to know them on a more personal level and to deepen my appreciation for their dedication to being the “living letter” of accompaniment. To begin with, all agreed to take part in this delegation and its intense schedule with very short notice and graciously embraced the very packed visit, despite their jetlag. But what most moved me was in every congregation and community we visited, these three leaders would listen and listen and listen, listening and embracing the pain, anger, uncertainties and the hope expressed by those who were directly or indirectly affected. Joining Bishop Hanson and our ELCA colleagues, they would ask the questions: What has changed for you in the last few weeks? What has given you hope? What do you want to see in the near future?

In thinking through the experience several moments came to mind that highlighted the impact and importance of the trip:

Bishop Halmarson addressing Metro New York bishops conference. Bishop Halmarson from Canada was actually a native of Connecticut. Her down to earth style and affinities with the affected communities made her pastoral embrace particularly effective and meaningful for all. On a number of occasions, she commended the ELCA for the willingness to accept our vulnerability by receiving the pastoral visit from leaders of the Lutheran communion. Such actions help deepen the meaning and reality of accompaniment throughout our worldwide communion. On a more personal level of accompaniment, Bishop Halmarson took on the role of navigator, guiding me through the busy streets and bridges of New York and New Jersey as I drove the unfamiliar terrain.

Bishop Buberwa addressing Metro New York bishops conference. On the first day, Bishop Buberwa was the preacher for the morning worship service at the pastor’s retreat of the Metropolitan New York Synod (MNYS), with which his diocese has a companion relationship, before our visit to affected areas. Before he preached, Bishop Buberwa gently presented a check to Bishop Rimbo on behalf of the people from his Diocese in Tanzania. That simple act of giving by fellow Lutherans from across the globe saw a lot of teary eyes around the room. The next day, I joined Bishop Buberwa at the same table when we gathered at Zion Lutheran Church, Staten Island to listen to the community. In the middle of the conversation, he asked a very simple yet important question in his soft spoken and compassionate voice, “How about the children?” That question generated rounds of very lively discussions among those around the tables. It is heartening to hear the resilience of children and how all of them learn to care for others in the aftermath of the event.

Rev. Dr. Munyika surveying the damage on Staten Island. Dr. Munyika from Namibia was on his first trip to the U.S. and expressed it was very impactful for him. He recalled how he and his compatriots felt extremely isolated during their struggle for independence several decades ago. In the midst of feeling completely shunned by the world community, he discovered members of the ELCA and our predecessor bodies were actively supporting their cause. That act of accompaniment gave them hope and renewed their strength. For this visit, he promised to share what he heard and saw with the wider Lutheran Communion when he returned home – not only the stories people heard from the news media, but more importantly the stories of those whom he touched and heard.

It is always good to know that we have friends, not only in our neighborhoods and backyards but also in all corners of the earth through our Lutheran communion and beyond. Through these individuals and communities the presence of Christ is made manifest in our lives as we walk in the valley and the shadow. These acts of accompaniment are truly a gift.

On the way to work this morning I heard a really great report on NPR about the ways people are supporting the response on the East Coast to Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. It was discussing how in-kind, material gifts are handled and how they affect the process. The overall point of the report was that even though in-kind, material donations are a great sign of the amazing giving nature of people in this country they may effect relief efforts in unintended ways.

One of the main reasons for this is that without knowing the specific needs of those affected by disaster in-kind gifts like water, food and clothing may not end up being needed but will still have to be sorted, processed and stored. Running the risk of taking away energies from other relief efforts. Also, many of the organizations who are carrying out the relief and eventual recovery efforts are also able to acquire better deals for needed items because of bulk purchasing and special agreements with vendors. In the end the article lifts up that financial contributions, though seemingly less tangible, actually are the most useful type of support.

The report also had a short piece at the end about a woman who was looking for a way to say thank you to the National Guardsmen who had helped her after she found out her home was destroyed. When she asked what she could do to thank them, they said nothing, that they were happy to help. So she decided to share the gift of homemade baked goods as a way of expressing thanks. This highlighted for me an important point for those who choose to give of their time by volunteering after a disaster.

As we help those affected by disaster, part of responding to the whole person is giving them the space and ways to give thanks. This is not to say we are to demand, nor even to expect, expressions of thanks, but that by giving someone the space to give thanks when they request it is actually allowing them a way to feel a part of their own recovery. For many the gift of being able to give proper thanks will mean as much to them in their recovery process as the fixed roof over their head, new clothing and/or restored power. I think it is one of the deepest and most difficult ways we are called by Christ to be neighbor.

Please take time to read/listen to the report and to think about how we can all best support the efforts on the East Coast and following future disasters. Want To Help Sandy Victims? Send Cash, Not Clothes (NPR, November 16, 2012)

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