 Lutheran Church Charities and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCSM) Southern District thank the following L.E.R.T. disaster response volunteers that deployed to serve Hurricane Ida-affected residents in Louisiana this past week. Good Shepherd, Elgin – David Vollrath Immanuel, DeKalb – Pete Springmire Immanuel, East Dundee – Matt Flynn Immanuel, Shobinier – Fran Collier Lord of Life, Elburn – Larry Zagorski Shepherd of the Hills, McHenry – Alan Holm St. John, Wheaton – Marty Johnson, Jeff Johnston This team provided many days of chainsaw work, cutting, and removing downed and damaged trees from affected homeowners’ properties in Slidell, Hammond, and New Orleans. They worked with Pastor Ed Brashier, Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, and a team from Flower Mounds, Texas, through the Southern District Office in Slidell, Louisiana. The team spent the first three days clearing many large downed trees off of three neighbors' properties in Hammond. Each property had extensive home and tree damage, making their homes uninhabitable until repairs are done. They had the opportunity to speak to two homeowners who are still staying in temporary housing in Houston, Texas. Both expressed their gratitude for all of the assistance to make their home accessible to them and start them on the road to recovery, which they know will take some time. The team left each homeowner a slice of their tree with a cross in it to remind them that Jesus Christ is with them always.
Pastor Ed is welcoming and receiving L.E.R.T. volunteers through November, who are willing to deploy from around the country to provide chainsaw assistance. More importantly, the volunteer L.E.R.T. teams are offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the hard-hit communities of Metairie, Slidell, Lacombe, Hammond, Houma, Baton Rouge, and other cities.
Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Hurricane Ida and for all of the public works, volunteers, and LCMS and LCC Disaster Response teams who serve them. If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC support the recovery efforts in Louisiana.  A second Lutheran Church Charities L.E.R.T. disaster response team has deployed and is assisting the LCMS Southern District to recover from Hurricane Ida this week. They also brought 20 flood buckets that the Palatine L.E.R.T. team had assembled to give to hurricane-affected homeowners. The teams are working with Pastor Ed Brashier, Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator through Atonement Lutheran Church in Metairie, and the Southern District Office in Slidell, Louisiana. Nine LCC chainsaw L.E.R.T. volunteers have begun serving in Hammond and Metairie, Louisiana, and describe extensive home and tree damage in these coastal communities. They have continued to work on a property with multiple large downed and damaged trees that another LCC team had started on their week of deployment. The homeowner is very grateful for all of the assistance and care shown to him.
 Pastor Ed is welcoming and receiving L.E.R.T. volunteers who are willing to deploy from around the country to provide chainsaw assistance. More importantly, the volunteer L.E.R.T. teams are offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the hard-hit communities of Metairie, Slidell, Lacombe, Houma, Baton Rouge, and other cities.
Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Hurricane Ida and for all of the public works, volunteers, and LCMS and LCC Disaster Response teams who serve them. If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC support the recovery efforts in Louisiana. Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response is ready to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. LCC DISASTER RESPONSE SERVING HOMEOWNERS IN LOUISIANA WITH RECOVERY EFFORTS AFTER HURRICANE IDA9/21/2021
Working with LCMS Disaster Response, Districts & Churches to Help Impacted Individuals and Families with Recovery Efforts  Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, produced winds up to 150 mph, 10 tornados, and historic flash flooding as it moved inland across eight states at the beginning of the month. FEMA is currently reporting 111 deaths attributed to this deadly hurricane. Some residents and businesses are still without power in multiple states, which may take another week to restore. Thousands of people have lost their homes, belongings, security, and hope. LCC L.E.R.T. disaster response teams are assisting the LCMS Southern District, working with Pastor Ed Brashier, Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator through Atonement Lutheran Church in Metairie and the Southern District Office in Slidell, Louisiana.
LCC chainsaw L.E.R.T. volunteers, Tony Buchberger, Derek Kowalczyk, and Joel Powless spent this past week serving in Slidell, Hammond, Metairie, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a team from Texas. They describe extensive home and tree damage in each community they were in. They met several homeowners who told them although there is much more work to be done at their homes, they were grateful for help with tree removal and getting them started moving forward in their recovery. It gave them hope and an opportunity to see how the church serves those in need. Another LCC L.E.R.T. chainsaw team with equipment will be deploying next week to serve in these hard-hit communities.
Pastor Ed is continuing to assess the damage and now welcoming and receiving L.E.R.T. volunteers from around the country to provide chainsaw assistance. More importantly, he and volunteer L.E.R.T. teams are offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the hard-hit communities of Metairie, Slidell, Lacombe, Houma, Baton Rouge, and other cities.
Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Hurricane Ida and the first responders, public works, volunteers, and LCMS and LCC Disaster Response teams who serve them. If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC support the recovery efforts in Louisiana. Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response is ready to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. HURRICANE NICHOLAS HIT GULF COAST EARLY TUESDAY WITH STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL TO HARD-HIT AREA IN RECENT WEEKS  Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, produced winds up to 150 mph, 10 tornados, and historic flash flooding as it moved inland across eight states at the beginning of the month. FEMA is currently reporting 111 deaths attributed to this deadly hurricane. Millions of residents and businesses are still without power in multiple states, which may take a few more weeks to restore. Thousands of people have lost their homes, belongings, security, and hope.
 Currently, there is intermittent electricity, water pressure is extremely low, and the sewer systems are not operational until the end of the month in parts of Louisiana. This means that it is still difficult to get food, gas, and other essential items needed for residents and volunteers in some areas. Pastor Ed continues to assess the damage and now welcomes and receives L.E.R.T. volunteers from around the country to provide chainsaw assistance. More importantly, he and volunteer L.E.R.T. teams are offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the hard-hit communities of Metairie, Slidell, Lacombe, Houma, and other communities.  Early Tuesday morning, Nicholas made landfall near Houston, Texas, as a Category 1 hurricane and continues to drop massive rain as a tropical storm making its way into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The slow-moving Nicholas will drop anticipated rainfall of 6 to 10 inches in Louisiana, with isolated totals reaching 15 to 20 inches. Flash flooding is expected. Please pray for L.E.R.T. teams who are helping affected homeowners during these difficult times. Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Hurricane Ida and Tropical Storm Nicholas and for all of the first responders, volunteers, and LCMS and LCC Disaster Response teams who serve them. If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC support the recovery efforts in these hard-hit communities. Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response is ready to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. 68 deaths, people missing, hundreds rescued  Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, produced winds up to 150 mph, 10 tornados, and historic flash flooding as it hit at the end of August and moved inland across eight states at the beginning of the month. FEMA is currently reporting 68 deaths, with this number expected to rise. Millions of residents and businesses are without power in multiple states, which may take weeks to restore. Thousands of people have lost their homes, belongings, security, and hope. LCC L.E.R.T. disaster response teams will be assisting the LCMS Southern District, working with Pastor Ed Brashier, Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, through Atonement Lutheran Church in Metairie, Louisiana. A first and small LCC chainsaw L.E.R.T. team will be arriving on September 12th to serve for one week. Plans are being made for a second team with equipment to deploy as well this month.  Currently, there is no electricity, water pressure is extremely low, and the sewer systems are not operational until the end of the month in parts of Louisiana. It is very difficult to get food, gas, and other essential items needed for residents and volunteers. Pastor Ed is currently assessing damage, determining equipment needs, planning for safe volunteer lodging and deployments. More importantly, he is offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the hard-hit communities of Metairie, Houma, Thibodaux, Raceland, LaPlace, and Lafitte. Power was partially restored to some areas, but full restoration is not expected until September 30. Eleven parishes are still on mandatory evacuation orders, with nine on partial evacuation orders with curfews. In addition, heat advisory continues with temperatures reaching 105 Fahrenheit.  Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Hurricane Ida and for all of the first responders, volunteers, and LCMS and LCC Disaster Response teams who serve them. If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC support the recovery efforts in these hard-hit communities.
Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response is ready to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.  On Monday, August 9, and continuing for several hours, strong storms with torrential downpours produced a confirmed ten tornadoes, four of them in Sycamore, as part of an outbreak of severe weather in the Illinois counties of DeKalb and Kane. Then, from August 10 through August 12, all of northern Illinois experienced severe storms with 50 – 70 mph winds, causing widespread tree and home damage. Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, and several LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) chainsaw leaders began assessing damage in many communities each day, while other L.E.R.T. teams provided chainsaw assistance. In 10 days, we completed 24 sites in 14 different communities with 66 volunteers. Serving Families in Sycamore with Extensive Property Damage
These three sites required chainsaws, heavy equipment, and the boom lift in operation for seven days. Scott, one of the homeowners, had his entire family working with us each day so that his kids would see volunteers joyfully serving them and their neighbors in their time of need. These families have been overwhelmed with the amount of damage. They are so appreciative of all of the assistance and care showed to them.
Helping Son Care for Elderly Parents Damaged Property Sam received a frantic call from his elderly and disabled parents after strong winds blew over a large neighbor’s tree onto their garage, workshop, and yard, as well as pulled live wires into their property. Although they were grateful the tree and wires did not hit their home, they did not know how they would clean up all of the damage. Sam worked with the L.E.R.T. team, cutting the large limbs from the roof and yard. His mom and dad sat in the yard and watched all of the work being done. She kept praising God for the angels he brought to help them. When the team was finished, she gave all hugs, blew kisses, and said a blessing.
Lutheran Church Charities also extends many thanks to the 66 volunteers that have come from the following 26 Lutheran churches in Illinois and Wisconsin:
2nd ROUND OF TORNADOES AND STRONG STORMS HITTING IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS WITHIN 60 DAYS  Starting early evening on Monday, August 9, and continuing for several hours, strong storms with torrential downpours produced at least six tornadoes as part of an outbreak of severe weather in the Illinois counties of DeKalb and Kane. Tim Hetzner, LCC President/CEO, and Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, closely monitored storms throughout the night to determine the hardest-hit areas. Early Tuesday morning, Kathy O’Day and LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) chainsaw leaders Marty Johnson and Larry Zagorski began visiting homeowners in the affected areas to assess damage to their properties. Several large homeowner sites in Sycamore have been scheduled and clean-up work will start today. Each site will take 4 – 7 days to complete due to the massive amount of tree and property damage. LCC Disaster Response will be working out of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Elburn, Illinois, which has one of LCC’s L.E.R.T. and K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry teams. Helping Family with Extensive Property Damage
We will also assist several neighbors and complete additional assessments in this rural area over the next couple of weeks. LCC NEEDS YOUR ASSISTANCE TO HELP FAMILIES DEVASTATED BY DAMAGE! The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
 Lutheran Church Charities has been present and serving the hard-hit communities of Woodridge, Naperville, and Downers Grove after an EF-3 tornado struck on June 20, 2021 through Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, Illinois. As of today, we have met with 118 homeowners to assess their property damage and have identified and completed 81 total sites that we can assist with. Helping Homeowner with Tree Damage to Uninhabitable Home and Property Mr. P was one of the last homes we helped complete chainsaw work at this past week. He had several broken trees around his home that is now uninhabitable after the tornado collapsed his attached garage and part of his kitchen wall. He appreciated the assistance and felt relieved that it was finally done. He was thankful that we took care of the tree damage clean-up at no cost to him. He enjoyed watching and talking with the large group of volunteers and told all that we were a blessing to him and his neighbors that we had also served over the last few weeks.
Mayor Cunningham of Woodridge Extends Heartfelt Thank You for Serving Her Community Mayor Gina Cunningham sent another beautiful note of thanks on Sunday to Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, to share with all the L.E.R.T. team members that have so willingly served in their community: Woke up early this morning and decided to take a drive around Woodridge. I truly can’t believe the difference 4 to 5 weeks makes. And, as I was driving, tears ran down my face. Immediately my thoughts went to ALL of the incredible helping hands that came from NEAR AND FAR to our rescue. Some I have had the pleasure to meet and talk with, but most I may not meet, nor THANK, for being a shining light of Hope and Compassion. I would like to share that they truly rescued a devastated, heartbroken, stunned, and hurting community (right after the June 20th EF-3 tornado). Woodridge is a good, kind, and welcoming community. I know that there are not enough words to convey the gratitude we have for all the help/helpers. Lutheran Church Charities also extends many thanks for the 75 volunteers that have served over these last five weeks. They have come from the following 18 Lutheran churches in Illinois and Alabama:
The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
Your prayers, support, and involvement help Make A Difference – in the name of Jesus to those in need.  114 Homeowner Assessments Completed 80 Total Properties Scheduled – 73 Completed On Sunday, June 20, a confirmed EF-3 tornado, straight-line winds of at least 70mph, and catastrophic storms raged through Northern Illinois, causing extensive damage in Woodridge, Naperville, and Downers Grove, as well as Burr Ridge and Darien. To date, the Village of Woodridge reports 400 homes damaged and 29 destroyed and Naperville had 231 homes damaged and 19 destroyed.
Lutheran Church Charities has been present and serving the hard-hit communities of Woodridge, Naperville, and Downers Grove. As of today, we have met with 114 homeowners to assess their property damage. We have identified 80 total sites that we can assist with. To do this more effectively, over the past two weeks, Pastor Ed Brashier, LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, and Shepherds Heart Ministry Director, and Gary Decker, assisted our teams with their 65’ boom lift and mini-bobcat. Different Lutheran Church Charities L.E.R.T. team members volunteer daily and have completed 73 sites. We will continue to serve in our district until we are done with all of the requests. Woodridge Mayor Cunningham Thanks L.E.R.T. Volunteers  Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, daily shares the addresses of those served with the Village representatives so they can schedule wood, brush, and debris pick-up. She received this encouraging note from the Mayor of the Village of Woodridge on Saturday to share with all of the volunteers serving: Please share with your incredible L.E.R.T. TEAM: Oh my! The number of residents you have served is absolutely incredible! I can’t fully express with words how much love and gratitude our community holds in our hearts for L.E.R.T. and all our amazing volunteers! My kindest and best regards, always! Mayor Gina Cunningham Helping Neighbors with Extensive Damage to Uninhabitable Homes  This week the LCC and Southern District lift teams worked together for two days on three neighbors' homes that were left uninhabitable and with major tree damage from the tornado. Becky, a young woman, was in the home recovering from open-heart surgery. Her roof was lifted off the home and several trees caused other damage. Her neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. K., who are elderly and disabled, could not get to any shelter and held hands and prayed that God would keep them safe. Both sustained some minor injuries and were hospitalized. Their nephew came from Alaska to help with the insurance, repairs to the home, and tree damage. My Uncle sends his sincere thanks and blessings to you all. And I’ll be honest, I’ve never been much into religion, but what you all are doing is a real miracle and being angels on earth to those in need. Thank you so very much! Nephew of Woodridge Elderly Residents This is why we do what we do. Chainsaw work becomes a means to share the gospel message with our actions and words when the situation arises. Serving Grandparents Raising Young Grandchildren LCC Disaster Response L.E.R.T. volunteers spent two days helping this family of grandparents raising young grandchildren clear their yard of multiple downed and dangerously leaning trees. They were so thankful to be able to have their yard made safe again and to have had it done at no cost to them. They had received an estimate of $45,000 to do this and knew it was something they could never afford to do. They felt “we were truly a blessing sent by God to help them.”
 The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
Please keep the families affected by the tornado and storms in your prayers, including all of the LCC Disaster Response volunteers and staff as we deploy to the hardest-hit areas of Northern Illinois to help during the long recovery process. Your prayers, support, and involvement help Make A Difference – in the name of Jesus to those in need.  107 Homeowner Assessments Completed 74 Total Properties Scheduled – 57 Completed On Sunday, June 20, a confirmed EF-3 tornado and catastrophic storms raged through Northern Illinois, causing extensive damage in Woodridge, Naperville, and Downers Grove, as well as Burr Ridge and Darien. Straight-line winds of at least 70mph tore through other communities. According to the final reports given this week, the Village of Woodridge had 400 homes damaged and 29 destroyed, and Naperville had 231 homes damaged and 19 destroyed. These are many families' lives changed forever.  Lutheran Church Charities continues to serve the hard-hit communities of Woodridge, Naperville, and Downers Grove. As of today, we have met with 107 homeowners to assess their property damage. We have identified 74 total sites that we can assist with. To do this more effectively, LCC has invited Pastor Ed Brashier, LCMS Southern District Disaster Response Coordinator, and Shepherds Heart Ministry Director, to assist our teams with his 65’ boom lift and mini-bobcat. This will allow us to help more homeowners daily with chainsaw lift work to broken and damaged trees. Different Lutheran Church Charities L.E.R.T. team members volunteer daily and have completed 57 sites. We will continue to serve in our district until we are done with all of the requests.  Assisting Neighbors By Removing Multiple Damaged Trees LCC L.E.R.T. chainsaw teams assisted two neighbors on one of the hardest-hit streets in Woodridge. Joe is living in his damaged home, and Steve’s is uninhabitable. Both had several broken trees that needed to be felled and removed using the boom lift. Joe kept telling us that he couldn’t believe that we would offer to do this for free, were are so professional, and that we were a blessing to him and his neighbors.
 Helping Neighbors with Damaged Tree Across Their Properties Plus Others We assisted another set of neighbors in Woodridge. One tree from an elderly woman’s yard was leaning precariously into the neighbor’s yard. This family had the leaner and several other trees with damaged limbs and a large broken evergreen to remove. It was a very difficult and technical job to do for the boom lift team in order to avoid causing further damage to a garage, fencing, and power lines. They were very appreciative of the hard work and kindness shown to them for the day and a half we spent at their homes.
LCC received the following thank you notes from those we have served sharing appreciation for the LCC L.E.R.T. chainsaw teams: Thank you, and God Bless you at Lutheran Church Charities, especially Deaconess Kathy O’Day and her great team, who were there in response to all of us affected by the tornado that ripped through our Woodridge community. Their professionalism and cheerful work will forever be remembered in my prayers. They truly are an example to all of the goodwill in doing God’s work.”  LCC Disaster Response extends a heartfelt thank you to LiftWorks in St. Charles, Illinois, for loaning us at no charge a TM64 Nifty boom lift for three days while they were repairing ours. We appreciate your generosity so that we can continue serving those affected by the tornadoes.
The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. Please keep the families affected by the tornado and storms in your prayers, including all of the LCC Disaster Response volunteers and staff as we deploy to the hardest-hit areas of Northern Illinois to help during the long recovery process. Your prayers, support, and involvement help Make A Difference – in the name of Jesus to those in need. |
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