CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Hurricane Katrina
Lutherans from across the United States and around the world have
contributed $24.4 million to date. Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is overseeing the expenditure of the
contributions that are supporting recovery work along the U.S. Gulf Coast
and among people displaced from their hurricane-damaged homes.
A detailed report of the expenditures is at
http://www.elca.org/news/releases.asp?a=3368 on the ELCA Web site.
LDR's response involves assistance to people displaced from their
homes, support for those affected by disaster and care for care givers,
coordination of volunteers and long-term recovery response, and
distribution of hardship grants for disaster survivors, said Heather L.
Feltman, LDR executive director and director of ELCA Domestic Disaster
Response.
LDR operates with a network of Lutheran social ministry organizations
across the country. Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, LDR provided more
than $7.2 million to Lutheran services and agencies working directly with
hurricane survivors, many of whom were relocated to other parts of the
country.
In addition LDR allocated another $2.15 million in 2005 to support the
work of its affiliates, which are engaged in the work of LDR, said Feltman.
Within the first 60 to 90 days after a disaster strikes, LDR
distributes hardship grants to help displaced people meet immediate
expenses, said Feltman. LDR distributed about $1 million in hardship grants
for survivors of Hurricane Katrina, regardless of religious affiliation,
she said. On average, grants ranged from $300 to $500 per individual for
housing, transportation, child care, food, utilities and other costs.
LDR also allocated a total of $291,948 to ecumenical and disaster
response partners soon after the hurricane.
In 2006 LDR moved into "long-term" disaster response, continuing to
support Lutheran affiliates, ecumenical partners and disaster response
organizations. Work in the long-term recovery phase includes providing
materials to rebuild homes, securing warehouse space to store supplies,
housing for volunteers, and providing care for disaster survivors and care
givers.
More than $2.67 million was distributed this year to LDR's affiliates,
and another $6.25 million in 2006 has been approved for distribution.
The remaining funds from the $24.4 million will help fund LDR's work
toward Hurricane Katrina relief in 2007 and beyond.
SOURCE Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Related links:
http://www.elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news/releases.asp?a=3368
CONTACT:
John R. Brooks, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, +1-773-380-2958, john.brooks@elca.org
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