Our Blog
Be Prepared to Care
Be Prepared to Care While we may talk with more people at large events like synod assemblies or the upcoming fall leadership convocations, the most important conversations we have are probably the ones with small groups.
Those can be conference gatherings of rostered ministers where we can take time to explain what LDR Carolinas is and what we do. Even better are opportunities to talk with church members in congregational council meetings or adult Sunday school classes about the importance of preparedness.
A short article in the 2008 edition of the ELCA’s Stories of Faith in Action explains the importance of these conversations:
“When [an EF 4] tornado struck Enterprise, [Alabama] in March 2007, the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church were equipped to respond, bringing help and hope to the community.
Only 18 days before, two seminary students had come to this small city to give a presentation at Christ the King on behalf of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). Prior to the presentation, many members of the congregation had never heard of LDR…
The members of Christ the King started putting together their congregational plan, and several members agreed to serve on a disaster preparedness committee. Just over two weeks later, a devastating storm tore through the city, destroying two schools, leveling portions of downtown and residential areas, and killing eight high school students.
When Lutheran Disaster Response personnel arrive the next morning to begin assessing the situation, members of Christ the King were their first contacts. The church was soon named as the volunteer reception center for anyone coming to help, and within a month, nearly 4,000 volunteers participated in work projects around Enterprise.”
In case you did not guess, we were the two seminary interns who visited Enterprise to talk about preparedness. We also had the opportunity to return after the disaster to work with the members of the congregation as they served their community.
This article was originally published to explain the importance of donations to support LDR. We are sharing it now to explain the potential impact of meeting with us to discuss preparedness.
Contact us to schedule a weekday meeting with congregational leaders or a Sunday event including worship. We would be glad to preach and connect the Good News with preparedness and ministry to serve your community when a disaster occurs.
Read the original article from Stories of Faith in Action here.
[Photo from ELCA article, “Prepared to Care”]
Hurricane Idalia is headed our way!
Merciful God,
when the storms rage and threaten to overtake us,
awaken our faith to know the power of your peace.
Deliver us from our fear and ease our anxiety.
Help us to endure the time of uncertainty
and give us strength to face the challenges ahead.
Give us the assurance of your presence even in this time
so that we can cling to your promise of hope and life shown to us
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Occasional Services for the Assembly, page 394)
We have been on the job and advocating disaster preparedness for six months and twelve days, but who’s counting?!? Hurricane Idalia is now headed toward the Gulf coast of Florida, with southern Georgia and both South and North Carolina in its path.
While the exact path of the hurricane is impossible to predict, we should be prepared for heavy rain and high winds across large portions of both Carolinas.
As we pray for everyone in the path of this storm, which is expected to be a powerful Category 3 hurricane when it makes landfall, we continue to advocate for preparedness. The need is urgent.
Here are some things to consider NOW:
If you live near the coast, know your evacuation zone, and make plans now to evacuate or shelter in place as guided by emergency management. Find your zone here for North Carolina or South Carolina. Notify your family or friends of your plans.
Even if you don’t live near the coast, be following weather information from a reliable source, like the National Hurricane Center or your local National Weather Service office to know what to expect in your area.
Be sure you have a way (or ways) to receive weather updates even if the power is out.
Locate your flashlights or another light source in case of a power outage. Check your supply of batteries or lamp oil and stock up if you need more.
Secure outdoor furniture and other items to prevent them from being damaged or becoming airborne in high winds and causing other damage.
Take time now to check out your generator and purchase fuel if you need more.
Charge your laptop computer, cell phones, and other devices and keep them charged.
Be sure that you have the necessary supplies to be at home for 3 to 5 days without power. Consider how much water, food, medications, paper goods, and pet food you may need. Remember that you will need food that you can eat without heating if the power is out.
Have cash on hand in small bills for emergency purchases.
This is not an all-inclusive list of disaster preparedness tips! For more information on preparedness, visit the LDR Carolinas resource page and follow LDR Carolinas on Facebook for more frequent updates as Idalia comes our way.
For ELCA pastors in North or South Carolina, if you, your home, your church building, church members, or their homes of congregation members are impacted by this (or any other disaster), please contact your bishop and the LDR Carolinas coordinators.
Prayers for your safety as Idalia visits your neighborhood!
Disaster Response in Eastern North Carolina
Many of us know that a rare EF3 tornado passed through Rocky Mount, North Carolina on July 19. But after the news coverage of this localized disaster faded, most of us have not heard much more.
In the first few days after the tornado hit (the relief stage) NC VOAD (Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster) partners like the American Red Cross, the NC Baptist Men, and others showed up quickly to provide emergency food and shelter and to clear debris and tarp homes. NC Emergency Management has also been at work. Together, they have determined that 80 homes in Nash County were affected; 8 of those were completely destroyed. Still more were affected in nearby Edgecombe County.
We have been in contact with Rev. Alice Johnson Curl, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Rocky Mount. Her home, the church, and the homes of church members were undamaged, but she has been active in their community recovery effort. She wrote in the most recent church newsletter:
“The most concentrated destruction was in Dortches, a small town outside Rocky Mount. Many houses were completely destroyed; many had significant damage; there was other property damage such as cars and outbuildings. Pfizer, the largest employer in the Rocky Mount area, had major damage to the loading/shipping dock part of the plant. With all this loss, there were only a few people who sustained injuries… Bob and I live in Dortches. Our home was not damaged, but four of our neighbors had their homes leveled; many lost at least part of their roofs; many had other damage to their homes and property…
[The] Wind of the holy presence of Jesus is stronger than any threats or challenges or storms, even an EF3 tornado that decided to touch down in our small community. Jesus was there on that afternoon. Jesus is still here. Jesus will always enter – because Jesus comes and goes wherever He chooses. And where He chooses to be is with all His beloved always and forever.”
Read her entire reflection here.
The effort now moves to short-term recovery. That is the work of helping families begin to return to their daily routines of work and school. LDR Carolinas has applied for a solidarity grant from the churchwide Lutheran Disaster Response ministry to aid the work in Nash County. Those funds will be administered by a coalition including town officials in the community of Dortches, Pastor Curl, and other church leaders, to help pay for short-term needs like deposits for temporary housing, insurance deductibles, or rental of storage units.
Representatives from NC Emergency Management, the local United Way, and other organizations already at work in these communities are meeting to coordinate their efforts for long-term recovery for everyone whose lives have been impacted by this tornado. LDR Carolinas coordinators are included in those meetings.
If you would like to help with short term recovery, please send gift cards (preferably for Walmart, no larger than $50) directly to Pastor Alice Johnson Curl at Trinity Lutheran Church, 433 South Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. These will be distributed to affected families who can shop locally to purchase back-to-school necessities (school supplies, backpacks, clothing, and school uniforms) and other immediate needs.