Hurricane Sandy: The Pro-Active Disaster Response
When disasters strike it is not usually with much forewarning. Even when there is it is measured in days or hours. Yet, when disasters happen some of the most crucial work occurs in the immediate days and weeks. Also, how...
Syria: A View Inside a Jordanian Host Community
One of the major areas of the ELCA’s Disaster Response program is working with international companions and partners to meet the needs of refugees. As people are driven by hunger, disaster or violence to leave their homes and enter into...
Democratic Republic of Congo: Renewed Fighting Leads to Growing Refugee Population
In the Democratic Republic of Congo fighting has intensified, as the major city of Goma (pop. 700,000) was seized by rebel fighters. Caught in the middle are the hundreds of thousands of residents in the city. Lutheran church leaders around...
Nigeria: Heavy Floods & Continued Fighting
Africa’s most heavily populated country has been spent much of 2012 responding to disasters. Earlier this year the country was affected by drought which spread throughout much of West Africa. Heavy rains in August/September have led to flooding throughout the...
South Sudan: Trial and Error and then…Smiles
This past year the Lutheran World Federation set up three Emergency Hubs in areas prone to disasters. Their intent was to preposition staffing and resources in areas of the world prone to disaster. One of these hubs was set up...
Hurricane Sandy: The Art of Giving & Receiving Thanks
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...