Midwest storm damage summary
Filed Under: Committee on Relief, disaster, Flooding, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Midwest, Minnesota, Nebraska, tornado, Wisconsin
While many WELS congregations are reporting that their members are safe following the series of severe storms that produced flooding and tornadoes throughout the Midwest last week, many members' homes have been damaged. Reports of worship facilities sustaining significant damage are limited.
Among the congregations affected are Divine Peace, Milwaukee, and Zion, Elroy, Wis. During Zion's worship service on June 8, the Baraboo River began to overflow and filled the church basement filled with five feet of water. Divine Peace had 10 inches of contaminated water bubble into its basement, causing an estimated $35,000-$40,000 of damage.
The Synod Administration Building, also in Milwaukee, experienced flooding in its basement June 7-8. Further west in Watertown, Wis., staff at Luther Preparatory School spent several days drying out the library and classrooms after water seeped in through the walls; none of the other three WELS worker training schools reported damage.
In Parkersburg, Iowa, a tornado destroyed the homes of five members of Faith, an Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) congregation. In southeast Iowa, four families from Good Shepherd, Cedar Rapids, are among the 30,000 residents who were evacuated from the city last week; few residents have been allowed back into town to see if their homes have been damaged.
Several states—like Iowa, which has declared disasters in 83 of its 99 counties—are receiving aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Red Cross has also set up emergency centers in some of the hard-hit states like Wisconsin, where a state of emergency was declared in 30 counties after record rainfalls June 7-8. Another series of storms rolled through on June 12 and caused evacuations in several cities.
Rev. Philip Schupmann, chairman of WELS Relief, has released $25,000 for flooding in Iowa but is still waiting to hear how many congregations fared. "I certainly encourage people to contact us if they need help and relief," says Schupmann. "Our committee can't always be the first ones on the spot after major disasters; we function much better weeks and sometimes months afterward when FEMA and Red Cross leave and we can get work crews in to help rebuild or clean up."
Schupmann will be leading a delegation of three WELS representatives to assess the damage in Iowa on Wednesday and says WELS Relief could release more funds at that point. "This disaster could grow into a very big effort on our part," he says. "We stand ready to help any of our congregations—their members and their communities—as these natural disasters continue."
Churches and individuals that have experienced damage are encouraged to contact Rev. Philip Schupmann, chairman of WELS Relief, at philipschupmann@msn.com If you would like to support relief efforts, donations can be sent to WELS Relief, 2929 N Mayfair Rd., Milwaukee WI 53222; or donate online at www.welsrelief.net
