Many WELS congregations in the Midwest are reporting that their members are okay following the series of severe storms that produced flooding and/or tornadoes in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois last week. Although many members’ homes have been damaged by the flooding and tornadoes, a majority of worship facilities have not sustained significant damage.

Among congregations affected are Divine Peace, Milwaukee, and Zion, Elroy, Wis. Divine Peace had 10 inches of toxic water bubble into its basement, causing an estimated $35,000-$40,000 of damage. During the worship service on June 8, the Baraboo River began to overflow and Zion’s basement filled with five feet of water.

In Parkersburg, Ia., a tornado destroyed the homes of five members of Faith, an Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregation, and four families from Good Shepherd, Cedar Rapids, Ia., are among the 24,000 residents that have been evacuated from the city as flood waters continue to rise.

Several states—like Iowa, which has declared disasters in 83 of its 99 counties, and Indiana and Nebraska, which have been declared federal disasters—are currently receiving aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Red Cross has also set up emergency centers in some of the hardest-hit areas, many of them in Wisconsin where another series of storms and heavy rainfall on June 12 caused several cities to begin evacuations; a state of emergency has been declared in 29 counties.

Rev. Philip Schupmann, chairman of WELS Committee on Relief (COR) says that so far only one request for COR funds has been received, since many areas are still being affected by storms. “I certainly encourage people to contact us if they need help and relief,” says Schupmann. “Our committee can’t always be the first ones on the spot after major disasters; we function much better weeks and even sometimes months afterward when FEMA and Red Cross leave and we can get work crews in to help rebuild or clean up.”

Schupmann says the Committee on Relief will continue to monitor the flooding situations throughout the Midwest. “We stand ready to help any of our congregations—their members and their communities—as these natural disasters continue,” he says.

Churches and individuals that have experienced damage are encouraged to contact Rev. Philip Schupmann, chairman of WELS Committee on Relief, at philipschupmann@msn.com..

If you would like to support relief efforts, donations can be sent to WELS Committee on Relief, 2929 N Mayfair Rd., Milwaukee WI 53222; or donate online at www.welsrelief.net.