Dear Sisters and Brothers,

My name is Pastor Michael Stadie and I am the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response. The second week of July, I had the privilege to spend some time with Ron Turney and Heather Turney from Lutheran Ministries of Alabama (LMA). LMA is working with those impacted by tornadoes in April 2011 as well as January 2012.

The city of Clay and LMA have developed a great working relationship in helping the people in that community recover from the January storm. LMA has a disaster case manager that is able to spend one day a week in a space provided by the city. This location will help those impacted by the storms to have easier access to case management services, which in turn, will help speed their recovery.

After touring the area, it is clear that many people in Clay are just now beginning their road to recovery. As the pictures in this post indicate, some homeowners, primarily due to issues with their insurance companies, have not been able to clean up their property. Sadly, some families have had to abandon their homes. These situations reflect the scope and importance of the work being done here by LMA.

During my time there I had the opportunity to visit with Pastor Larry Richardson from Faith Lutheran in Clay, which has agreed to host volunteers working in the community. In coordination with LMA, the congregation has made a strong commitment to provide hospitality for those helping to clean up and rebuild Clay.

I was able to visit with Pastor Sandy Niiler, interim pastor at Christ Lutheran in Cullman, a congregation that was destroyed in the April 2011 tornado. Pastor Sandy gave me an update on the rebuilding process; groundbreaking was held about a week before I was there. As the congregation is rebuilding, they are also rethinking their role in the community and planning ways to become more active participants in their shared future. This is one of the amazing ways in the wake of tragedy that God brings hope, as a congregation severely impacted by a disaster finds a new sense of mission to its community.

My trip also involved visiting the Camp Noah at Pratt City area of Birmingham. Camp Noah is a program of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota which works with children affected by disaster Volunteers from the local community and Maryland were having a great time working with 75 children attending the camp. Although the weather was very hot, you could feel the enthusiasm and excitement of the children as soon as you walked in the door of the community center. Little did they know that just a day or so later, First Lady Michelle Obama would be visiting; something that raised the excitement level through the roof. While I was not able to present for Mrs. Obama’s visit, I was so very happy that both LMA and Camp Noah were able to be in the national spotlight for the great work they have been doing helping the people of Alabama recover. (Please see a previous post about Mrs. Obama’s visit to the Camp Noah.)

After my time in Alabama, I attended the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Thank you to all who stopped to visit and sign up for the T-shirt raffle. It was great to hear that so many people from around the country know of the work of Lutheran Disaster Response.

As I continue my visits to other parts of the country that have been impacted by disasters, I will post additional updates.

The participants at Camp Noah in Pratt City, an area of Birmingham, AL, had quite a surprise yesterday when First Lady Michelle Obama came to visit. The camp is a ministry begun by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota in 1997 to help children affected by disasters process the experience. It was being hosted by Lutheran Ministries of Alabama in Pratt City as part of their response to the devastating tornado in April 2011.

The First Lady was able to greet many of the children presonally and even took home some of the healthy treats they were putting together as part of their program. It was a great experience for those present and a nice affirmation of the good work of Camp Noah. A wonderful example of how in times of disaster our church takes seriously the role of being there for the long haul, even after the news cameras have left. And sometimes when they come back.

To learn more about the good work being done see: Camp Noah | Lutheran Ministries of Alabama

You can also learn more about the even from local news coverage (short ads before most videos):

• Special visitor in Pratt City: Series of videos. The first one has a statement from Nancy Beers, Director of Camp Noah, and the second one has a good overview of the program.
• First Lady Obama visits Birmingham: Really like the statement of the First Lady at the end of the video. It’s great our church, through our disaster response work, can be a part of what she’s talking about.

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

Lutheran Ministries of Alabama, the local Lutheran Disaster Response affiliate in Alabama, has partnered with the city of Clay to offer long-term recovery for victims of the January 2012 tornado that affected 30% of residence. This is a great example of both how disaster response is always a local response and how our role may not be as first responders but that Lutheran Disaster Response is there for the long-haul.

To learn more check out:

• the video report of the local NBC station: Long-term tornado recovery program underway in Clay
• the press release covering the partnership with an overview of Restore: LMA-CLAY Press Release about Restore

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

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.

During their spring break 88 students from the ELCA college of St. Olaf, located in Northfield, MN (also home to Malt-O-Meal factory), spent time in Clay, AL to help with clean up efforts following a January 23 tornado which ripped through the area. It reminded me of an old Lutheran Disaster Response ad that showed a woman cleaning a floor with the words: “Sexy? No. Faithful? Yes.” It’s great to see that a part of a full education at an ELCA college is activities like this that tie students into the larger work of the church and their lives in the world.

To learn more:

• read the article from the Birmingham News, “St. Olaf College students spend spring break cleaning up storm debris in Clay”
• watch a video of St. Olaf work on Clay (short ad at beginning), St. Olaf Students in Clay, AL
  

At least 64 tornadoes touched down in 14 states last week leading to over 50 deaths, thousands of destroyed homes and displaced peoples. To help lift up the response we have created a bulletin insert for your use. Download it here.

You can also learn more at the ELCA Disaster Response page U.S. Severe Spring Storms and support the effort through donations page.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response volunteer page.