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Philippines: A second contribution of $1 million to respond to Typhoon Haiyan

Megan Brandsrud

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Ida Yabigail, 52, helps to clean up her community following Typhoon Haiyan, removing refuse from blocked drainage ditches as part of a cash for work program sponsored by Lutheran World Relief, a member of the ACT Alliance. Her neighborhood in Ormoc, a city in the Philippines province of Leyte, was hit hard by the typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, in November 2013. LWR and other ACT Alliance members have been providing a variety of forms of assistance to survivors here.

Ida Yabigail, 52, helps to clean up her community following Typhoon Haiyan, removing refuse from blocked drainage ditches as part of a cash for work program sponsored by Lutheran World Relief, a member of the ACT Alliance. Her neighborhood in Ormoc, a city in the Philippines province of Leyte, was hit hard by the typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, in November 2013. LWR and other ACT Alliance members have been providing a variety of forms of assistance to survivors here.

Lutheran Disaster Response has provided a second installment of $1 million to Lutheran World Relief to continue Typhoon Haiyan recovery work in the Philippines.

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded storms in history, struck the Philippines in November, impacting more than 14 million people and destroying more than 1 million homes. Lutheran Disaster Response, working with our partner, Lutheran World Relief, responded immediately with an initial $1 million. Early recovery projects have included cash-for-work debris removal, shelter kit distribution and food distribution.

This second contribution will be used for long-term work of restoring livelihoods. Many industries suffered in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, and the livelihood rehabilitation projects will help offer opportunities in the fields of fishing, seaweed farming, boat repair, and coffee and cacao production.

A disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation component will be integrated into all of the livelihood rehabilitation activities to help build capacity and agriculture and food security among the participants.

Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in the Philippines is done in coordination with Lutheran World Relief, along with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and other ecumenical partners. Working with our partners allows Lutheran Disaster Response to extend the help of the people of the ELCA.

Thanks to your outpouring of generosity, Lutheran Disaster Response was able to assist in the immediate recovery after Typhoon Haiyan, and now in the later phase of rebuilding. We as a church are committed to sustainable recovery, and we will continue to work with our brothers and sisters in the Philippines until the work is done. We stay until the very end.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in the Philippines, please visit the typhoon giving page.

We give thanks for the outpouring of love and support for the people of the Philippines. Protect and support them. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Afghanistan: Providing Immediate and Long-Term Assistance After Floods and Landslide

Megan Brandsrud

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Following the series of rains, floods, and landslides, the affected population scattered across the north of Afghanistan face challenges in accessing shelter, water, food, and health services. Children pose for the camera in front of their home.

Following the series of rains, floods, and landslides, the affected population scattered across the north of Afghanistan face challenges in accessing shelter, water, food, and health services.
Children pose for the camera in front of their home.

During the last week in April and the early part of May, monsoon rains drenched northern Afghanistan, causing flash floods. On May 2, the continued heavy rains triggered a landslide and buried a village in Abi Barik, causing significant damage to homes and agriculture and the loss of many lives. Overall, more than 120,000 people have been impacted and more than 675 people have been reported dead.

Lutheran Disaster Response, with our partner, Church World Service, is providing immediate needs, such as food, shelter kits and hygiene kits. We are also assisting in mid- to long-term projects of rehabilitating livelihoods, restoring irrigation systems and providing disaster risk reduction.

Livelihood Rehabilitation

Cash-for-work programs will be made available to 570 families who will be able to assist in cleaning up and rebuilding their villages while receiving cash grants to be used for their own disaster-related expenses. The disaster impacted everyone in different ways, and the cash grants allow families to prioritize and take care of their own individual immediate needs.

Irrigation Restoration

Restoring irrigation systems will provide an opportunity for cash-for-work projects and will restore crop production on agricultural land.
Disaster Risk Reduction

1,200 people will participate in disaster risk reduction services, which will provide education on disaster risks and how to be prepared. Disaster risk reduction will help increase the resilience of the flood-impacted communities.

Thanks to your gifts, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to provide hope and healing to our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan who were impacted by the floods and landslide. We will continue to walk with them on their journey of rebuilding and renewal. If you would like to help support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work around the world, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Valparaiso, Chile: Rebuilding After the Fire

Megan Brandsrud

​Emergency homes

On April 12, a raging wildfire enveloped the city of Valparaiso, Chile. Narrow, hillside roads and the lack of water or fire hydrants made controlling and extinguishing the fire very difficult. Fifteen people died as a result of the fire, which consumed 1,090 hectares (approximately 2,692 acres) and destroyed 2,900 homes, leaving approximately 12,500 people displaced.

Valparaiso is the Chilean city with the greatest number of low-income neighborhoods, with 22 percent of the city’s population living well below the national poverty line. Many people are worried about being evicted from their area and forced to move to other zones of Valparaiso.

Working with the Educación Popular en Salud Foundation (EPES), Lutheran Disaster Response is assisting those impacted by the fire by providing housing assistance and psychosocial support for women and children.

Rebuilding Homes

Currently, many residents who lost their homes are now living on their former property in tents or unstable structures built from tin and boards rescued from the fire. These dwellings are not waterproofed and provide no insulation from the winter cold and rains that are now occurring in the region. Lutheran Disaster Response, along with our partner, EPES will provide resources to 300 families to help them improve the conditions of shelter and winterization in their emergency houses.

Hope and Healing

The psychosocial support is grounded in a community participation strategy. Sessions will take place at a community center where 45 women and 300 children will be able to talk in a safe environment to diminish psychosocial injury and motivate family support and participation.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, thousands of volunteers from around the country responded to the emergency. Few of those volunteers who worked in the initial weeks are present today, but families still need assistance. Lutheran Disaster Response is committed to providing long-term assistance to people whose lives have been disrupted by disaster. Thanks to your generosity, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to walk with our brothers and sisters in Valparaiso as they continue on their journey of recovery and rebuilding.

If you would like to help support the church’s work in Valparaiso, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

South Sudan: What It Means to Run for Safety

Megan Brandsrud

​Nyagnet Req and children

Since mid-December 2013, the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, has been the setting of a political crisis turned violent. According to a May 16, 2014, report from the United Nations, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced as a result of the armed fighting, and more than 4 million people are facing acute food insecurity.

Despite an agreement to cease hostilities on Jan. 23, 2014, the violence continues. One of the most fought-over towns is Malakal, the capital of oil-producing northern Upper Nile state. Many people in Malakal have been forced to flee to escape being caught between the warring parties.

Nyagnet Req, the mother of seven children, is one of those people. This is her story.

On Jan. 13, 2014, Nyagnet went to a nearby river to get water for her household. This was part of her daily routine. However, when she was returning home on that day, she witnessed first-hand the disaster as it hit her town. The town had been taken over by heavy armed fighting. Gun shots were flying as parents were running to gather their children. Nyagnet says she only has blurred memories of how fast she ran to collect her children and escape.

“It was the worst day of my life,” Nyagnet says.

Nyagnet and her three sons and four daughters were traveling on foot. After days of walking, they reached the Ethiopian border town, Matar. Matar is one of the entry points in the western region of Ethiopia.

On Jan. 23, 2014, Nyagnet and her family were placed in Lietchor camp. The camp has modest temporary shelters and basic sanitation facilities. Food and clean water are Nyagnet’s primary concerns.

Since Nyagnet and her children had to flee so quickly, she lost contact with her husband, who was working for the government in road construction at the time the clashes occurred in their town. She has no knowledge of where he is, and she has no way to let him know where she is.

Nyagnet’s story is similar to the stories of the many who have had to flee their homes as a result of the conflict in South Sudan. Many families had to leave on a moment’s notice, with no time to grab belongings or supplies, and family separation is one of the most prevalent results of the conflict.

Providing Hope and Healing

Lutheran Disaster Response, in partnership with The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), is providing assistance to accommodate the 20,000 refugees at Lietchor camp. Boreholes are being drilled to construct a motorized water supply system, hygiene supplies are being distributed, and sanitation awareness programs are being implemented. In addition to these life-saving activities, we are working with LWF to provide agricultural livelihood restoration programs.

The months of conflict and the fear of returning home to nothing take a toll on families who have had to leave everything behind for their safety.  Lutheran Disaster Response has been present from the beginning, providing assistance within South Sudan and to refugees in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Chad. We will continue to be present and provide assistance where it is needed most, for as long as it is needed. Your gifts designated for the South Sudan Conflict Response will help assist those who have been directly impacted.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35, 37

Typhoon Haiyan: Recovery Work Continues Six Months Later

Megan Brandsrud

​Typhoon Haiyan banner photo

Six months ago, Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) crashed into the Philippines. As one of the strongest storms in recorded history, it affected more than 14 million people and destroyed approximately 1 million homes. More than 6,200 people were reported dead as a result of the storm, and more than one thousand people still remain missing.

Working with Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Disaster Response was active on the ground in the Philippines days after Typhoon Haiyan made landfall. A lot of recovery work has been done in the past six months. Projects have involved shelter repair, cash-for-work programs, non-food item distributions, livelihood rehabilitation, and water and sanitation intervention programs.

Here is a breakdown of some of the recovery projects in process:

Shelter: Working with Habitat for Humanity Philippines, 1,457 households have received shelter repair kits, which have impacted 7,285 people. Repair kits include things such as plywood, coco lumber, iron roofing sheets, nails, hammers and saws. These kits allow people to return home.

Cash-for-Work: More than 18,000 people have participated in cash-for-work debris removal programs. This means that people are able to contribute to their community by taking part in clean-up efforts, and they can receive money to be able to make prioritized spending decisions that are right for their family. Cash-for-work programs are beneficial because even though millions of people were impacted by the same disaster, they were impacted in different ways and have different needs as they recover.

Water: The availability of clean drinking water was a major concern tackled after the storm, and 240 community water filtration units have been installed in child-friendly places, such as schools.

Delia Moreno is a grandmother to three children. She and her grandchildren were in her home in Maya barangay of northern Cebu when Typhoon Haiyan was approaching. They quickly ran to a neighbor’s sturdier home for shelter.

“We ran for our lives,” Delia said. “I prayed that I would receive God’s graces and survive the storm.”

They all survived the storm, but Delia’s house did not. When they emerged from her neighbor’s home, they saw that all that remained of Delia’s home was a pile of debris.

However, on Nov. 23, just two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed her home, Delia received a shelter repair kit and with the help of her nephew, she rebuilt her home.

“I am so happy,” she said.

There have been great strides in recovery in the six months since Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, but there is still a long way to go. Thanks to your generosity, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to work with our brothers and sisters in the Philippines as they continue to rebuild and recover. To help provide assistance to those who need it most, you can give a gift to the Lutheran Disaster Response – Pacific Typhoon fund. Donations from people like you allow the church to be present and active in this long journey to recovery.

The one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. -Philippians 1:6

Please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response Facebook page for more photos of Typhoon Haiyan recovery projects.

Disaster Relief Team Travels to New Jersey, Marks 50th Trip

Megan Brandsrud

​This week, 33 volunteers from St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Ministry of St. Philip’s Lutheran Church in Fridley, Minn., traveled to New Jersey to assist in Hurricane Sandy recovery projects.

This trip marked St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Ministry’s 50th trip since the ministry formed in 2006.

St. Philip's 50th trip certificate

St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Ministry has traveled around the country meeting people who have been impacted by disasters and helping them rebuild their homes.

“St. Philip’s Disaster Ministry has been a great leader in volunteering to help those impacted by disasters,” Lutheran Disaster Response Program Director Mike Stadie said. “I don’t know of any other ELCA congregation that has helped as many people all over the country. Their commitment to helping those in need is inspirational.”

St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Ministry’s current trip to New Jersey was coordinated by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSMNJ) and A Future with Hope. Please visit LSMNJ’s website for more details about this story and Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

Pictured: Members of St. Philip’s Disaster Ministry receive certificate from Lutheran Disaster Response Program Director Michael Stadie and Amy Pennenga, disaster response coordinator for LSMNJ.