Upbring Disaster Response Update: Feb. 23 Severe Weather Event

One week after a long and difficult stretch of severe weather throughout the South and tornadoes in Louisiana, initial recovery efforts continue across impacted areas. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center confirmed that the 13 tornadoes which hit Louisiana on Tuesday, Feb. 23, set a record for the most occurring in one day during the month of February.

Jessica Vermilyea, Director, Upbring Disaster Response, the new LSSDR, reported that St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes were the hardest hit in Louisiana, with Assumption and Livingston Parishes also receiving substantial damage.

St. James Parish
Specifically at Sugar Hill RV Park in Convent, St. James Parish, there were two confirmed fatalities, 31 people hospitalized and seven listed in critical condition. In total, 100 trailers were damaged at the trailer park of approximately 160 homes and 300 residents.  Outside of the RV park area, more than 50 homes were also damaged or destroyed – efforts for clean-up are currently underway.

St. John the Baptist Parish
Only a short four years after Hurricane Isaac caused more than $2 billion in damage to Louisiana and Mississippi, the community of St. John the Baptist Parish is once again rebuilding their lives. Initial estimates are that approximately 400 homes have been impacted.

During the first 24 hours, Upbring Disaster Response was on the ground meeting with parish officials and community partners to help coordinate the opening of the Volunteer Reception Center (VRC), distribution and feeding efforts. In addition, volunteers are now working on clean-up and debris removal.

Although damage assessments are still underway, the Long Term Recovery Committee reconvened earlier this week to begin plans that will address needs based on the extent of damage and to identify those who will require additional assistance. Jessica, who served as a member of the Executive Committee during Hurricane Isaac, will continue in the same role for this event.

Upbring Disaster Response – who responded during Hurricane Isaac’s recovery efforts – continues regular communication with our Lutheran partners, community and governmental partners and is working with Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) to assist in immediate recovery efforts.

Emergency Declarations
Nine parishes have received emergency declarations:

Texas Update
Although storms were not as devastating in Texas, two school districts canceled classes after power outages and damages made it dangerous for students to attend in Brackett and San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated ISDs. It was reported in Del Rio that approximately 10,000 customers were without power Feb. 23.

Long-Term Plans
As we continue to gather information and determine what the long-term recovery plans are, we promise to share it with you. We do know there will be a need for financial assistance to aid in rebuilding and replacement of household and personal goods.

We ask that you continue to pray for the storm victims and their families.

Lutheran Disaster Response will continue to accompany Upbring Disaster Response as they continue to be present in the communities affected by the February 23 Severe weather event.

Here’s how you can be a part of the response:

Pray

Please pray for all those affected by this crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.

Give

Gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used to provide immediate and/or longer-term recovery relief.

Connect

Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.

Subscribe to the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.

Like our Facebook page.

To learn more about this situation:

Visit the Upbring Disaster Response Page

On Nov. 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Typhoon Yolanda, crashed into the central Philippines. For the next several days, heavy rainfall and top-speed winds wreaked havoc on the region. The typhoon, one of the strongest recorded storms to ever make landfall, impacted 14 million people, took the lives of 6,300 people, damaged or destroyed 1 million homes and caused $2 billion in damages.

Of the 14 million people affected by the storm, 40 percent were already living below the poverty line. Also, out of the affected population in the 14 provinces, the livelihoods of 5.6 million people were destroyed, lost or disrupted.

It has now been a little over 2 years and we are still present. Thanks to your generosity in giving almost $2.5 million and because of our network of partners on the ground in the Philippines, Lutheran Disaster Response was able to respond to immediate relief needs and continues to address the longer-term recovery needs.  Below is the story of Marilyn Jabilloraga, a survivor and participant in the Livelihood Recovery Program, through our partner Lutheran World Relief.

Marilyn Jabilloraga lives in Barangay Calao, nestled in the uplands of Burauen Municipality in Leyte Province. She is a 49 year-old married mother of two.  

Just like many others in the Philippines, Marilyn and her family were severely affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Although they did not experience the storm surge, the wind was so strong that their house collapsed. They hid under the sink, which was the only part of the house that was left standing.  

Because their house was destroyed, Marilyn’s family slept in a makeshift shelter with only tarp as their roofing for three months. The typhoon also devastated the family’s coconut trees and their livelihoods in copra and rice production. 

However, Marilyn was able to participate in LWR’s project and received vegetable seeds, calamansi1 as well as farm training to revive her family’s livelihood. Being able to grow and harvest her own vegetables for her family’s consumption was a logistical and financial relief for Marilyn. She was also glad to be trained on how to make organic fertilizer and pesticide as well as on improved agricultural practices and marketing techniques. She is hopeful that her calamansi and coconut seedlings will bear fruit in the near future and become a strong source of income for the family. 

She still dreams that, one day, she and her family will enjoy a life like the one they had before Haiyan – or even better.            

Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, the ELCA’s social statement on the church’s relation to society and its public presence and responsibilities, states, “As a reconciling and healing presence, this church is called to minister to human need with compassion and imagination.” Lutheran Disaster Response answers this call by often being the last ones to leave after disaster occurs. Staying behind to aid those, like Marilyn, who may have otherwise fell through the cracks.

Here’s how you can be a part of the response:

Pray

Please pray for all those affected by this crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.

Give

Gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used to provide immediate and/or longer-term recovery relief.

Connect

To learn more about this situation and other LDR response:

Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.

Subscribe to the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.

Like our Facebook page.

According to the UNICEF report, almost one million children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa. UNICEF notes that:

• In Ethiopia, two seasons of failed rains mean that nearly six million children currently require food assistance, with school absenteeism increasing as children are forced to walk greater distances in search of water;

• In Somalia, more than two thirds of those in urgent need of assistance are displaced populations;

• In Kenya, El Niño related heavy rains and floods are aggravating cholera outbreaks;

• In Lesotho, one quarter of the population are affected. This aggravates grave circumstances for a country in which 34% of children are orphans, 57% of people live below the poverty line, and almost one in four adults live with HIV/Aids;

• In Zimbabwe, an estimated 2.8 million people are facing food and nutrition insecurity. The drought situation has resulted in reduced water yields from the few functioning boreholes exacerbating the risk to water-borne diseases, especially diarrhea and cholera;

• Malawi is facing the worst food crisis in nine years, with 2.8 million people (more than 15% of the population) at risk of hunger; cases of severe acute malnutrition have just jumped by 100% in just two months, from December 2015 to January 2016;

• In Angola, an estimated 1.4 million people are affected by extreme weather conditions and 800,000 people are facing food insecurity, mainly in the semi-arid southern provinces.

Isaiah 58:10 says,

“If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.”

Lutheran Disaster Response understands, as part of a community of faith, it is important that we never forget the importance of our presence in the world. How God uses us to feed the hungry and provide for the afflicted.

In addition to the $53,153 committed to Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar, Lutheran Disaster Response has committed $70,000 to accompany Lutheran World Federation in Ethiopia to provide for the immediate hunger needs. The overall goal of the planned emergency response is to contribute to the efforts of saving lives and livelihoods and to mitigate the effects of drought in five districts of Afar, two districts of Oromia, and one district of Amhara region of Ethiopia. Through Cash for Work (CFW) activities LWF plans to reach about 56,866 individuals with about 12,000 of them being children.

Here’s how you can be a part of the response:

Pray

Please pray for all those affected by this crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.

Give

Your gifts are needed now to help with immediate relief to assist those directly impacted by the droughts. Gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used to provide immediate, life-saving aid.

Connect

To learn more about this situation and other LDR response:

• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Subscribe to the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
• Like our Facebook page.

“…As we do our part, envisioning a world where disasters don’t threaten lives and all are fed.”

Rev. Dr. Andrea Walker

Nearly 14 million people in southern Africa are facing hunger due to the worsening drought, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). One of the most affected in the area is Madagascar. WFP has estimated that over 1.9 million Madagascans have been affected by the drought.

Our companion church, the Malagasy Lutheran Church, has reported 6 affected synods, mainly in rural areas located a great distance from urban areas.  They have estimated that about 1300 people have died from lack of food or poisoning from eating plants not suitable for consumption. The Reverend Dr. Andrea Walker, the ELCA’s Global Mission Area Director for the region said, “The drought and flooding in Madagascar continue to threaten the lives and particularly the health and well-being of women and children in the affected areas.”

In our baptismal covenant, we proclaim that we are called “…to serve all people, following the example of Jesus.” Thanks to your generosity, the Lutheran Disaster Response continues to answer the call.

The Lutheran Disaster Response has committed $53,153. These funds will allow us to accompany the Malagasy Lutheran Church as they plan to provide immediate, life-saving support to 3,250 families. The primary focus of the assistance will be given to pregnant women, vulnerable children, disabled and elderly people.

What you can do:

Pray
Please pray for all those affected by flooding and drought. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services. 

Give
Gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used to provide immediate, life-saving aid.
Connect:
To learn more about this situation and other LDR response:

• Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
• Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
• Like our Facebook page.

Children in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, located near Mafraq, Jordan. Opened in July 2012, the camp holds upwards of 20,000 refugees from the civil war inside Syria. International Orthodox Christian Charities and other members of the ACT Alliance are active in the camp providing essential items and services.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

– Galatians 6:2

Conflict and high levels of violence have continued throughout Syria. It has caused one of the largest refugee/migrant incidents the world has seen in decades. Over 3 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries. About 1.5 million of them have fled to Jordan with roughly 12,000 still waiting outside the border to gain entry. The number of refugees in the country has put a strain on the Jordanian economy. The lack of financial support coupled with the impossibility of attaining work visas has created a sense of hopelessness among the refugees. To help restore hope in the people, our partners Lutheran World Federation/ Department of World Services have established the “Peace Oasis” in Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan. At the Peace Oasis, Lutheran World Federation offers Syrian refugee youth and young adults psychosocial support, conflict mitigation, recreational skills. They also offer informal education and vocational training. They are being taught skills such as hairdressing/barbering and sewing that will leave them with income-generating skills for the future.

With all of these efforts, the majority of refugees are still living far below the Jordanian poverty line and there is still an overwhelming number of people who are failing to meet their basic needs. Bishop Elizabeth Eaton recent visited the camp and said, “We believe that the cross of life is where there is suffering. It certainly is in that camp in Jordan.” As a body of Christ, we are called to carry each other’s burdens. And thanks to your generous donations, the ELCA has committed another $70,000 to respond to this continued crisis. These funds will go towards providing cash assistance to help with basic needs such as rent, food, clothes, etc., for the most vulnerable in Jordan.

To Give to the Syrian Refugee Crisis please visit the Middle East and Europe Refugee Crisis Give Page.

For more information on Bishop Eaton’s Visit:

http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7806

For more information on the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan visit:

UN: http://www.unhcr.org/569d17876.html

LWF: https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/jordan-0

LDR: https://blogs.elca.org/disasterresponse/syria-cold-temperatures-warm-hearts/

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