“Beyond what I could imagine”

Disaster Response cleaning up areas devastated by tornadoes, flooding as K-9 Comfort Dogs prepare to visit

HELP LCC BE THERE — TORNADO RECOVERY FUND

Mr. F was a new homeowner — just three weeks — when the tornado swept through. 

The EF-2 monster, 750 yards wide, packing 130 mph winds, tore his home apart. The roof and soffit were dislodged. The gutters blown off.  Windows blown out. He had interior damage too. On top of it all, he was hit by flying glass. 

Every tree on his property fell or was badly damaged. Dangerous, hanging limbs loomed overhead. When LERT-trained LCC Disaster Response volunteers showed up this week, they spent all day felling seven leaning trees, clearing debris, and making his yard safe again.  

It was an all-hands effort, with Mr. F’s aunt helping pick up limbs and trash. By the end of the day, she couldn’t express enough gratitude, hugging the crew as tears streamed down her face. They presented her and her nephew a cross cut in a slice of the tree and a cross in the stump in the yard — reminders of God’s faithfulness even amid the storm.

This ended the first week of cleanup and recovery for Lena, IL, which saw the tornado leave a path of destruction 8.5 miles long through the center of town, zigzagging around neighborhoods, and past the community’s elementary and junior high school. Students and teachers had sheltered inside, traumatized but thankful to be alive. 

Homes and businesses were a crumpled mess, trees shredded, and power lines down. But they were still together — and they weren’t alone.

Neither would nearby Roscoe, IL. On Tuesday, the village's mayor, Carol Gustafson, invited LCC LERT to assist residents in their community affected by an another EF-1 tornado that struck on April 17. LCC Team Leaders Ed Boerman and Dean Ulrich will meet with Troy Taylor, Village of Roscoe Public Works Director, this morning to assess damage and determine how LCC LERT teams can begin to serve this week.

Back in Lena, at another property, the tornado had felled multiple trees beside a ditch running by the front yard, blocking the flow of water, leaving a pool of water inching toward the house. 
The storm had been destructive — but the aftermath was about to get worse. 

Working quickly, LERT-trained LCC Disaster Response volunteers moved the downed trees, cleaned up the limbs, and trimmed the overgrown bushes creating the blockage. Soon, water was flowing through the culvert again; there would be no flooding in this yard. 

That evening, when the homeowner returned from work, he sent the crew a text: “Your team went above and beyond what I could have imagined. Thank you!”

The line of severe storms was part of a powerful system that also dumped more than a half-foot of rain on already soggy sections of southern Wisconsin, where LCC Disaster Response teams are helping families dry out. Widespread flash flooding inundated the region, particularly Janesville, where a local church had four feet of water on its first floor. 

Six rivers in Wisconsin remained at record flood stage levels after the weekend, prompting evacuations and road closures in more than a dozen counties.   

LERT responders in both states are bringing care, compassion, and the presence of Christ to these hurting communities who are in the midst of cleaning up.  

In Lena, IL, Rev. Jason Shaw, Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, has invited LCC to assist in recovery efforts and deploy caring volunteers to be with those who have been deeply affected by the devastating storm and provide emotional support. After Sunday services, St. John’s members went out around the town to clear debris as Deaconess Kathy O’Day, Director of LCC Disaster Response, met with Lena officials, who referred homeowner sites to the ministry.

Starting Monday, LERT crews were addressing about a dozen sites around Lena, including the Winslow-Lena schools, where students and teachers are still shaken after the storm. They were inside the school building when the tornado hit, keeping doors closed with their feet. 

LCC’s K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is working with the principals and counselors of the schools to arrange on-site visits when the classes resume. Comfort Dogs Mary (St. Paul – Janesville, WI), Samson (Zion – Marengo, IL), and Bethesda(St. Matthew – Hawthorn Woods, IL) will meet with students and teachers at the elementary school, while Gethsemane(Lord of Glory – Grayslake, IL) and Tobias (Lord of Glory – Grayslake, IL) will visit the middle school. Comfort Dogs Charity (Brookfield – Brookfield, WI) and Shadrach (Prince of Peace – Palatine, IL) will spend time with high schoolers.    

In Wisconsin, Rev. Greg Hovland, Pastor of Saint John Lutheran in Portage, WI, and the South Wisconsin District Disaster Response Coordinator, was working with LCC’s Mark Brueggemann, Regional Crisis Manager for South Wisconsin District, to provide floor fans and dehumidifiers to congregations. They also have reached out to the North Wisconsin District to offer assistance.

LCC President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer issued a special appeal to help the communities in both states recover and rebuild.   ​

HELP LCC BE THERE — TORNADO RECOVERY FUND