LCMS prepares for Hurricane Sandy

Church poised to support districts, congregations along East Coast

ST. LOUIS, October 29, 2012—Districts and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) along the East Coast are preparing for Hurricane Sandy and two other storm fronts expected to strike the region Monday or Tuesday. “Each district is implementing necessary precautions and alerts,” said the Rev. Glenn F. Merritt, director of LCMS Disaster Response. Merritt has been in contact with LCMS districts in areas that could be affected by the storms.  “While the impact of hurricanes is tricky to predict, it is apparent that Hurricane Sandy has already caused considerable damage and loss of life, particularly in the Caribbean, and remains a credible threat to the Northeastern seaboard of the United States.”

The LCMS’ Disaster Response ministry also is poised to help districts and congregations as they respond to the needs of those affected by this disaster in their local communities. 

To help those affected by the storm:

• make an online gift (https://www.lcms.org/give/hurricane_relief);
• mail checks payable to “The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (with a memo line or note designating “LCMS Disaster Relief – Hurricane”) to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861; or 
• call toll-free 888-930-4438.

Hurricane Sandy first made landfall in the Caribbean Oct. 24 and has been blamed for 69 deaths in Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The Rev. Ted Krey, LCMS regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, reports that the hurricane caused heavy flooding in southern Dominican Republic.  According to the Rev. Dr. Albert Garcia, a professor at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., who works with the Cuban Lutheran Fellowship, more than 20,000 people – including many Lutherans – in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second-largest city, lost roofs on their homes.
LCMS Disaster Response staff remain in contact with Garcia and Krey, and continue to assess needs in Haiti through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, an LCMS partner church.  Continuing updates about the Synod's response to Hurricane Sandy will be posted on the LCMS website at www.lcms.org, Twitter (www.twitter.com/thelcms), the LCMS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/thelcms) and the Mercy Forever blog (http://mercyforever.lcms.org). 

About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The 2.3 million-member Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ.  Learn more at www.lcms.org.