Hurricane Isabel

Dear friends in Christ,

Though Hurricane Isabel is downgraded to a tropical storm, we're not through it yet. Flooding is a concern from Virginia to western Pennsylvania. Forecasters anticipate Tropical Storm Isabel could cause up to a foot of rain in West Virginia's rugged Eastern Panhandle.

The wake of the hurricane has been deadly. Presently the massive storm system, spanned 700 miles, is blamed for 17 deaths in six states.

Lutheran Disaster Response is present and active with fellow voluntary agencies and emergency management, throughout the impacted region. In North Carolina, our partner is Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas working with ELCA NC Synod and LCMS Southeastern District; in Virginia, our partner is Lutheran Family Services of Virginia working with ELCA Virginia Synod and again the LCMS Southeastern District. In Maryland, we're coordinating with Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and ELCA West Virginia and Western Maryland Synod and again LCMS SE District, and in West Virginia with Community Lutheran Partners.

Presently we're in the stage of rescuing life and securing infrastructure. Road systems have been washed out, power is slowly being restored and shelters hold high occupancy. President Bush has declared 26 counties in North Carolina as federal disaster areas and 31 counties in Virginia. Damage assessments are presently being conducted to determine the extent of the damage in the northeast section of North Carolina and the southeast section of Virginia, though accessibility into areas remains tenuous. According to FEMA Director, Michael Brown search and rescue teams are still operating along the Outer Banks.

Please keep in your prayers those who are mourning for the lives lost in this storm, those who are shifting through the debris and wondering where to begin and those who are withstanding the rains and winds of Tropical Storm Isabel.

LDR will be responding to Isabel through our two Lutheran denominations - Please send your contributions earmarked for "Hurricane Isabel" to:

ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1794

Credit card line: 1800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via the web, and also to download a disastergram: www.elca.org/disaster

LCMS World Relief
PO Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810

Credit card line: 1888-930-4438

For a resource guide, the second revision of "Prepared to Care" (a booklet for pastors to use in the wake of a natural caused disaster) is also available now on the Lutheran Disaster Response website (www.ldr.org).

God be with you all -

Johanna Olson

For Lutheran Disaster Response