Lutheran Family Services of Virginia is a partner agency with Lutheran Disaster Response (www.ldr.org), which is a collaborative ministry of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). With LDR, Lutheran Family Services works to help individuals and congregations PREPARE for and RESPOND to domestic disasters (to see how to respond to international disasters, visit the web pages of the ELCA or LCMS).

Reaching out after tragedy

Because LDR is committed to meeting the long-term needs arising from a crisis, LFS is developing a comprehensive disaster plan that will be looking at issues relating to the Virginia Tech tragedy and other natural and human-caused disasters and how our organization can be of greatest service. Do you have ideas of ways that LFS can meet the needs of individuals and communities affected by crisis? Do you have a story related to a crisis to share? Please email Jan Tobias, Disaster Response Coordinator at jtobias@lfsva.org with your thoughts.

How Can I Help?

Wanting to help during crisis is what makes us human, but it is always difficult to know what to do. Here are a few ideas.

• Reach out to a Korean congregation in your community
• Share these resources with family, friends and community members:

Light Our Way Spiritual Care Guide

A Spiritual Response to Victims of Violence

Helping a Child Manage Fears after a Traumatic Event

Caring for Yourself and Others

• Connect with LDR through its web page and learn about this resource
• Use your caring energy to volunteer for rebuilding in continuing response to the hurricanes of 2004-5 in the Gulf Coast and Florida
• Hold a blood drive
• Ask our agency to hold a disaster preparedness training session in your church and area
• Make a donation to LFS to further our work with displaced and grieving individuals. To see if your gift can be doubled, visit www.thrivent.com
• Pray for those living in areas affected by hurricanes, for those displaced and for all those working every day to help those whose lives have been forever changed.

Are volunteers in the Florida and Gulf Coast area still needed?

Absolutely! We will be working in the Florida and Gulf Coast area for the next 8 to 10 years. Call us today to see how you and/or your congregation can participate. Or go to the volunteer registration window of the LDR website www.ldr.org. It's easy and you can specify where and when you would like to help, as well as any skills you can offer (not mandatory--everyone can help).

It's Tornado Season! Are you prepared ?

Tornadoes are spawned during severe thunderstorms or during tropical systems or hurricanes. The most important thing to remember is, if a tornado warning is issued; you, your family, and pets need to seek shelter immediately. If you are inside, go to an interior room on the lowest level of the building. If you are outside, lay flat at the lowest point you can find. Do not stay inside a mobile home.

View the Tornado Preparedness Sheet for information about what to do during a tornado. It also has information about historic tornadoes that have occurred in the Shenandoah Valley. Many people believe we do not have tornadoes in Central Virginia because of the mountains, but that is a myth.

Here are some websites with more information about tornadoes:

Ready Virginia Tornado Preparedness
Frequently Asked Questions About Tornados
The American Red Cross Tornado Information Web Page

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