Disaster Relief: Long-Term Recovery from April Storms Still Underway

In recognition of September as National Preparedness Month, Lutheran Services of Georgia reflects on the communities affected by April’s severe storm outbreak and the work we perform to serve families and communities affected by disasters. With an active history of assisting in long-term disaster recovery, LSG works with congregations and Lutheran Disaster Response to serve the families and communities affected by disasters to reconstruct their lives and communities.

As disasters occur, federal, state, local governments, and private organizations assist communities with immediate disaster relief and with the restoration of basic services. Unfortunately, survivors, victims, and donors erroneously believe that federal and state grants provide enough financial assistance to help families and communities return to normalcy after a disaster.

This is why LSG’s long-term recovery outlook is very important to the families and the communities that we serve. Most recently, our commitment to the long-term recovery is evident two years after the 2009 floods in theSoutheastern United States. Thanks to a successful joint venture with Lutheran Disaster Response and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, LSG continues to assist families and communities who are still coping with the reconstruction and repairs of their homes and communities. Contributions to the flood relief efforts reach above $40,000 and facilitated the successful delivery of financial assistance and volunteer coordination. As we enter the long-term recovery phase of April’s severe storm outbreak, LSG will continue to work in partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response, Long Term Recovery groups, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (GVOAD), congregations, and families to coordinate recover efforts.

With your financial and volunteer support, Lutheran Services will be active in the long term recovery of the communities affected by April’s severe storm outbreak and any other future incidents. We encourage you to support our efforts as we serve our mission.

For more information on how you can assist our efforts, contact disasterassistance@lsga.org or call 404.875.0201.

To learn how to your congregation can be better prepared for disasters please download Preparing for Disaster: A Guide for Lutheran Congregations at http://www.ldr.org/prepare/PrepDisaster.pdf