Situation:
On Sept. 27, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba, causing severe flooding and an island-wide power outage. The next day, it hit Florida as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. A dangerous storm surge, coastal flooding and strong winds damaged buildings and infrastructure, making rescue efforts more difficult. In total, at least 137 people died, with 126 of those deaths in Florida.
St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL
Response:
Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is coordinating a response with the Florida-Bahamas Synod. The synod is providing small relief grants to impacted families and will continue to offer relief as additional needs are identified. LDR is sending a group of pastors to impacted areas to offer respite and emotional and spiritual care. The synod and Lutheran Disaster Response are also developing a long-term rebuilding and recovery response. In Cuba, ACT Alliance is responding with the Rapid Relief Fund, which LDR contributed to at the beginning of the year.
Be part of the response:
Pray
Please pray for people who have been affected by Hurricane Ian. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.
Give
Thanks to generous donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response will be used to assist survivors of Hurricane Ian and other disasters around the world.
To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:
- Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
- Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
- Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook, follow @ELCALDR on Twitter, and follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
- Download the situation report and share as a PDF.
