ELCA News Service<\/p>\n
CHICAGO (ELCA) \u2013<\/strong><\/b> Some members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affected by wildfires in Northern California said that their faith, family and friends sustained them during a difficult time.<\/p>\n \u201cGod and my faith and my family and friends got me through,\u201d said Craig Waters, a member of Galilee Lutheran Church in Kelseyville, Calif., who lost his home in Anderson Springs, a community near Middletown. He said about 180 of the 200 homes in his neighborhood were destroyed. \u201cThe neighborhood is wiped out but the spirit is still there. There is definitely a resurrection feeling. All of our stuff is gone, everything is wiped out, but it hasn\u2019t killed the spirit,\u201d said Waters, whose family has been in the community for several generations.<\/p>\n Devastations caused by the Valley Fire<\/em><\/p>\n Two fires, which started days apart in September, burned more than 200 square miles and are estimated to have caused almost $2 billion in damage. Six people died and thousands of people evacuated from their homes. The Valley fire, located about 90 miles north of San Francisco, destroyed almost 2,000 structures including nearly 1,300 homes. In addition to Waters, two other families from Galilee Lutheran lost their homes in the fire.<\/p>\n Robert Hamilton, a lay leader from Galilee, said the congregation is helping out in the community by collecting money, donating their time at shelters and at workshops focused on surviving trauma. \u201cIt\u2019s about us going out into the community and helping wherever we can,\u201d he said. Hamilton said much of what is needed in the first few weeks is helping people regain stability in their lives. \u201cA lot of kids are going to school in places that are not their home school, but they\u2019re going somewhere. The bus routes are all disrupted. People are scattered everywhere. So just trying to get the kids stable and feeling like everything is OK again. It\u2019s tough,\u201d he said. Hamilton said an effort is underway to help provide students with backpacks, school supplies and athletic equipment \u2013 \u201cthings the students are used to having but now all that stuff is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n On Oct. 11, the congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary. Plans for a celebration had been in the works for over a year and Hamilton said the gathering was \u201can opportunity to see that life goes on\u201d and also a reminder of what means most to the community during this time. \u201cThe care of the spirit is something we hope we don\u2019t lose once the tragic aspect of (the fire) goes away. People have really come together to help each other out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Destructions caused by the Valley Fire<\/em> in Lake County, CA<\/em><\/p>\n The Rev. Mark Holmerud, bishop of the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod, attended the congregation\u2019s celebration and also toured the fire-damaged area. \u201cGrowing up in Southern California, I thought I had seen fire damage before,\u201d wrote Holmerud in a Facebook post describing his visit. \u201cBut the Valley fire grew more than 50,000 acres in twenty-four hours, or 25 acres per minute. It was clear from the damage we saw today that there was no way to \u2018stand your ground\u2019 to protect your home, no way to drive to safety if you waited too long to evacuate.\u201d<\/p>\n Mountain Ranch Lutheran in Mountain Ranch and Faith Lutheran in Murphys are two ELCA congregations located in the area of the Butte fire, which destroyed about 71,000 acres in Amador and Calaveras counties. Five families from Mountain Ranch lost their homes, including William Jungemann, who evacuated his home on Sept. 10. When he returned to the area one week later, he found that his home had been destroyed by the fire. \u201cIn the long run I got out of there with my life and we got all our animals out of there and everything else is a plus. We have something to go on with,\u201d said Jungemann.<\/p>\n The Butte Fire burns everything to the ground near Mountain Ranch, CA<\/em><\/p>\n Rob Westerhoff, president of Faith Lutheran, said his congregation is assessing the situation and is ready to help wherever needed. One of the members is a real estate agent and is helping to find temporary housing for families in the community who lost their homes. On Oct. 15, Westerhoff and Holmerud traveled through the areas affected by the Butte fire. \u201cMuch as I saw on my tour of the damage caused by the Valley fire in Lake County, the damage from the Butte fire was almost too much to take in. We saw many burned out homes, cars, and other structures. The devastation this fire has caused to thousands of people was all around us,\u201d wrote Holmerud in a Facebook post. \u201cIt will take 12 to 18 months \u2013 if everything goes as well as possible \u2013 for these families to rebuild their homes. Counselors and therapists are on hand at schools and community centers to help with the sense of loss, grief, depression and post-traumatic-stress syndrome counseling.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistance is available from various levels of government for immediate relief but is often insufficient to address\u00a0the needs of the most\u00a0vulnerable\u00a0ones in the long term recovery phase of a disaster <\/em><\/p>\n Lutheran Disaster Response is working with Lutheran Social Services of Northern California to provide care and comfort to those whose lives have been impacted by the fires, focusing on long-term need. \u201cThis process is about being the church and doing what we do best \u2013 being faithful and walking with people in need,\u201d said Nancy Nielsen, deputy director of Lutheran Social Services of Northern California. \u201cWe need to be present, to listen and to respond thoughtfully. \u201cWe are in the process of transitioning from the response and relief stage to the recovery stage,\u201d said Nielsen. \u201cThe recovery will be a very long process. It\u2019s a marathon and not a sprint. It will take years, requiring a lot of patience and perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n Holmerud ended his Oct. 11 Facebook post asking for prayers. \u201cPrayers for all whose lives have been forever changed by the Valley and Butte fires. Prayers for the firefighters and first responders who risked their lives to save many more homes than the number which were destroyed.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m feeling the prayers,\u201d said Waters. \u201cI don\u2019t know how people get through things like this without faith. I guess they do, but I don\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n Please consider supporting the response in Northern California by visiting the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.<\/a>
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