LUTHERANS PERSEVERE IN RECOVERY WORK ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY
97-29-084 MR

CHICAGO (ELCA) - "I spent the first day of autumn breathing in dust and mold.  There is dust in the air and a heavy smell of mold and mildew.  But there is something else -- the sweet smell of fresh-cut lumber, the new smell of wallboard and spackling, the sounds of hammering and the words, 'thank you,'" said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, associate director, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Domestic Disaster Response.

The record snowfall and floods of the 1996-1997 winter and spring seasons caused catastrophic conditions along the Red River Valley.  "The devastation was so incredible that recovery will be a long-time endeavor," said Julie K. Aageson, Nora Lutheran Church, Perley, MN, in an interview.  "There is still such a sense of vulnerability among people because the floods were so devastating.   People are afraid of the upcoming winter...there is fear that it could all happen again," said Aageson.

"There is so much yet to be done in northwestern Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.  The floods have receded in the Red River Valley, but thousands of homes still stand in need of repair," reported Furst.   Furst visited rebuilding sites in Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN, last month.

The Rev. Robert L. Dahl, Our Savior Lutheran Church, East Grand Forks, MN, told of 30 families in his congregation whose homes have been completely demolished.  Most of these families have been living in trailer parks set up for flood victims since April.  Others live in half destroyed homes, with basements still full of water.

"My husband and I volunteered at a congregation in which the foundation was completely destroyed," said Aageson.  "The basement can no longer be used for fellowship and to teach Sunday School classes.  Instead, the basement is now completely sealed off, so worship during the upcoming winter season can be warm.  The church will need to be moved; the existing foundation is beyond repair," she said.

"The primary needs in our recovery efforts have not changed.  They are prayers and cash," said the Rev. Rick J. Foss, bishop of the ELCA's Eastern North Dakota Synod.  "But the need for volunteers has suddenly become the number one need.  There are hundreds of homes that require skilled volunteers to help rebuild," he said.

Flood-Relief Volunteers are 'a Godsend for Us'

Photo by Paul Ockrassa
Lucille Malen, right, a Gardner, ND farming-community resident, hugs Marge Ockrassa,
one of a number of St. Louis-area Lutherans who dove to North Dakota in June to help with flood
cleanup work.  The strip of cloth around Malen's arm was presented to her by Ockrassa
after it was torn from the strip around Ockrassa's neck.  That strip, in turn, was taken from a larger "sending cloth" hung on the alter of Concordia Lutheran church, Kirkwood, MO, at the time the cleanup team was "sent" to North Dakota.  The sending cloth remained on the alter until the team's return as a symbol that the church was extending care and compassion to others.

By Bruce Kueck
The stories that victims of natural disasters tell won't be about the cause or overall scope of the problem, or about how many dollars have been contributed toward relief work.  Rather, the stories will be about loved ones lost, family albums destroyed, or years of heard work swept away.  They will also be stories about the "wonderful people who help us."

"They have been a godsend for us," said Kelly Straub, a flooded-out Grand Forks, ND resident, speaking about Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSS) staff and volunteers.  LSS is the Lutheran agency coordinating Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) work in that state.  LDR is a cooperative effort of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was here.  And, the Red Cross.  They pulled out two weeks ago.  The Salvation Army...we see them once in a blue moon.  But, LSS has been fabulous.   They've come by to visit.  They brought us blankets.  They stop by to see how we're doing," said Straub.