Equipment Needed Now to Help LCC Help Families with MOLD from FLOODING

Mold is one of the greatest dangers in helping families get back into their homes. Mold can cause severe health problems with people’s respiratory systems. Lutheran Church Charities would like to purchase Mold and Mildew Foggers at a cost of $185 each. They would be used in homes that have been flooded after having been mucked out by our LERT teams. This fogging is one of the quickest and most effective means of preventing mold formation in a home. A gallon of proven mold–fighting concentrate solution to be used in the foggers costs approximately $40. Having this equipment, which is needed NOW in Watseka, and in all future flooding and mold situations is critical to helping others in need. 
 
Please prayerfully consider donating to the DR Mold and Mildew Fogger Fund. Thank you for helping us serve those who are suffering and in need.

Donate - DR Mold & Mildew Fogger Fund

LERT Volunteers Return to Watseka to Help with Flood Recovery
 
On Saturday, March 10, twenty-nine LERT volunteers from the Central Illinois District and Lutheran Church Charities, as well as sixteen Hope Worldwide volunteers from Champaign, Illinois, joined together with Pastor Don Love from Calvary Lutheran Church in Watseka to continue to help eleven residents of Watseka recover from historic flooding. 

The volunteer teams also listened to many stories of loss and were able to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.

Most of the families we helped each week came to the Calvary Lutheran Church at lunch with the volunteers working on their home. They were welcomed and served a meal, and received counsel and prayer from Rev. Don Love, Rev. Karl Gibbs (Our Savior – Milford, Illinois) or Rev. Jim Wright, LCMS Disaster Response Chaplain.

This week, we worked with the Stanis family. They lost a different home and belongings in the 2008 flood and now have lost everything again. They do not know what they are going to do or where they will go now.

Volunteers Rebuild Flooded Homes
LCC Disaster Response & LERT Volunteers
(Sunday, March 11, 2018 – WCIA Channel 3 / Jamie Mayes)
 
CLICK HERE to watch broadcast and read the article

LERT volunteers also returned to four homes that still needed work completed from the previous workday as they were badly damaged. The Marrs family home had the last two rooms of drywall and insulation removed. It is now ready for mold remediation and allowing it to completely dry. They, like many families, are unsure of the mitigation requirements and how they will be able to afford to make their house a home again. This recovery will be a lengthy process.
 
In all, 173 volunteers from the Central Illinois District, Lutheran Church Charities, Walmart, and Hope Worldwide worked at 29 homes to muck out basements and living space, remove wet debris, furniture, appliances, drywall, insulation, kitchen cabinets, and carpet.

The LCMS provided tools and financial support for the recovery process. Calvary Lutheran Church and Walmart donated food for breakfast, lunch and snacks for all of the volunteers and affected families on both workdays.
 
Kathy O'Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, received a call from a homeowner who LCC staff pumped water from her basement and received help with other needs from Calvary Lutheran. She expressed her "appreciation for all we have done to not only help her, but listen to her, truly care about her, and restore her hope." She wanted to "convey her thanks and blessings to all involved in helping in her time of despair and need."

Thank You to LERT Volunteers
From Calvary Lutheran Church and the City of Watseka, Illinois
 
On February 22, 2018, our town of Watseka, Illinois, and surrounding area was hit by the worst of five devastating floods in the last ten years. In our community of just over 5,000 residents, over 200 homes were affected. Many homes will never again be a home - damaged beyond repair or beyond the homeowner's financial ability to repair. One family has suffered through three floods in three different homes with most of their belongings destroyed in each flood.
 
Lutheran Church Charities and the Central Illinois District's LERT (Lutheran Early Response Team) called upon you to volunteer on March 3 and March 10, 2018.
 
And you came. You, along with volunteers from various Walmart’s, and our own volunteers from Calvary Lutheran Church, totaled 173 over two Saturdays. You completed work at 29 sites. You came with the love of our Lord in your hearts, and with your feet and hands, were willing to share His blessings with those in distress. In their despair you gave many people hope beyond words and tears.

Our thank you from Calvary Lutheran Church and the city of Watseka.

Denney Smith
President, Calvary Lutheran Church and Preschool

Please prayerfully consider donating so that together, we can make a difference in the lives of families and individuals impacted.

Donate - Watseka, IL Flood Disaster Response Fund

Want to learn more about how you can make a difference to those in need? Register Now for LERT Basic Training. Next class is Saturday, March 17th. Click the button below to see the LERT Training Dates & Locations section for the details and how to register.

LERT Basic Training - Registration