Utica, Illinois Tornado Report

Dear friends in Christ,

Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) is responding to a series of nineteen tornadoes that tore this week through Illinois, 90 miles southeast of Chicago.

A cluster of nineteen tornadoes struck Illinois Tuesday night. National Weather Service officials in Oklahoma said they received reports of 51 tornadoes, most clustered in Illinois and Indiana, but some as far as Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma.

Hardest hit was the small Illinois community of Utica, a community of approximately 1,000 people. Eight people (aged 18 to 81) died when the 100-year old tavern in which they sought shelter collapsed. The storm also damaged dozens of Utica homes and businesses, as well as affecting nearby towns of Joliet and Granville. The tornado was a category F-3, which typically creates wind speeds of 158 to 206 miles per hour.

Two Lutheran agencies are coordinating this LDR response. They are:

1. Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (Gene Svebakken, president), David Roth, disaster response coordinator.

2. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (Fred Agner, president), Dan Schwick and Beth Stockbridge, disaster response coordinators.

Both LCFS and LSS-I are in contact with local congregations to assess damages. They are working directly with the Northern Illinois District, LCMS (William Ameiss, President) and the Northern Illinois Synod, ELCA (Gary Wollersheim, Bishop) to assess needs and encourage volunteer participation from local members.

As part of the immediate response, LCFS has been asked by the American Red Cross to provide a mental health worker. There is a pre-school ten miles away from Utica, and LCFS is preparing to provide defusing and debriefing for the children through a counselor. As a long-term response organization is formed by Church World Service, LDR will participate in that effort. Funds will be made available for emergency needs.

As LDR responds to the survivors of this latest disaster, please offer your prayers for the safety and well being of those affected as well as for those who are responding. Your donations will help the church offer God's help and hope now and for the long haul.

Send contributions to:

ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764

Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via the web:

LC-MS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810

Credit card gift line: 1-888-930-4438

Gilbert B. Furst (written on April 22, 2004 at 4:00 p.m.). Director for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response (Division for Church in Society) and Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS) 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493 Please visit our new website