Update, December 20, 2021:
December 10 Tornadoes — Update
On Dec. 10, 2021 an EF-4 tornado tore through Kentucky for 225 miles, killing 77 people and destroying thousands of homes from Mayfield, KY, to Bremen, KY. Another 20 tornadoes were spawned, impacting the Bowling Green vicinity, a total of 16 Kentucky counties were declared by FEMA.
NALC Disaster Response were on the ground by Monday Dec. 13, delivering six truck loads of emergency relief supplies: to Benton, Madisonville, Princeton and Bowling Green. More trucks are scheduled this week. In addition to the emergency relief supplies, new toys for Christmas were collected and over $25,000 in new toys will be delivered to the children who have lost everything. Trucks and trailers from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are arriving daily — thank you Jesus. A father and mother of four were in disbelief that our churches would help complete strangers: a family standing in front of an empty lot where their house used to be … we prayed and we cried and we reassured this family that we as the NALC will be there to help rebuild their home!
After Christmas, repairs and rebuilding will begin. There are four volunteer teams scheduled and to schedule your team, please contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132.
Thank you for brightening Christmas for so many families.
Update, December 16, 2021:
December 10 Tornadoes — Update
NALC Disaster Response has been on the ground delivering emergency relief supplies from the National Disaster Warehouse in Caldwell, Ohio since Monday Dec. 13. It is reported that 88 people have lost their lives. Thousands of homes are damaged and destroyed – assessment of numbers is not completed at this writing. There are 16 counties declared for FEMA assistance in Kentucky and now Arkansas and Illinois have received federal declarations. Six (6) more truck loads of emergency relief supplies are being delivered from the NALC Disaster Response regional warehouses. Communities being served through St. Paul Lutheran Church Metropolis IL and House of Prayer Lutheran Church Elizabethtown KY are: Mayfield, Benton, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Madisonville, Bremen, and Bowling Green. Your donations of health kits, school kits, Bibles, quilts, and baby items are deeply appreciated!
On Monday Dec. 20, we will be delivering truck loads of new toys for Christmas to these impacted communities and the children who have lost everything – Thank you NALC congregations for responding so quickly!! And yes, the families that we have been meeting with are so excited to get something for their children for Christmas – so many mothers cried when we told them! We will continue to deliver toys right up to Christmas Day so keep sending your donations.
Both St. Paul and House of Prayer Lutheran Churches are hosting volunteer teams – please sign up with Mary Bates as soon as possible!
Monetary donations and gift cards received after Christmas will be used to ship in lumber and building supplies from Ohio and other states – building supply stores are absolutely empty here in KY.
For more information, please contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 or [email protected]
For the FEMA Response to Tornado Outbreak, click here.
Update, December 14, 2021:
December 10 Tornadoes — Update
NALC Disaster Response has made its first delivery of emergency relief supplies to Madisonville KY. The pastor and his wife were so very, very appreciative! They had completely run out of health kits and all of their supplies to help 4 communities! Pastor Charles said this delivery was absolutely a blessing from God.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
For the FEMA Response to Tornado Outbreak, click here.
Update, December 13, 2021:
December 10 Tornadoes — Update
NALC Disaster Response is coordinating efforts for the Dec. 10 tornadoes and we are delivering health kits, school supplies, gift cards, and new toys for Christmas to St. Paul Lutheran Church Metropolis IL which is our staging area for Mayfield KY and the surrounding communities. We are also delivering emergency relief items to the House of Prayer in Elizabethtown, KY which is our staging area for Bowling Green KY. Your prayers and support are desperately needed. As previously referenced, Pastor Rob Carr’s hometown is Mayfield KY and we found this morning (thank God) that his family is all okay. Mary and team is en route now with your prayers and support. Volunteers are needed for spiritual Christian care and for debris removal. Contact Mary at 740-509-1132 for more information.
By next week (Christmas week), Mary is collecting new toys for Christmas, so please send your monetary donations to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486. Please send gift cards to Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response, 16500 Noble Ave., Caldwell, Ohio 43724. The delivery of new toys will be made by Wednesday Dec. 22. Next update and pictures will be provided tonight — Monday evening.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
For the FEMA Response to Tornado Outbreak, click here.
Update, December 12, 2021:
December 10 Tornadoes — Update
There are currently 38 confirmed deaths, thousands of homes destroyed, a night of terror for thousands of people, your prayers are desperately needed. Pastor Rob Carr’s home town is Mayfield, KY which is completely destroyed. NALC Disaster Response is responding. More information to come.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, December 12, 2021:
Prayer Request & Call for Help
Please pray for the families who lost loved ones in the Kentucky, Illinois and three additional states tornadoes on Friday Dec. 10. NALC Disaster Response is responding to the devastating tornadoes, providing emergency relief supplies.
To volunteer, contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 or email at [email protected] as soon as possible. To donate, please send your support to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486.
Gift cards from Walmart and Target are needed for families to help replace Christmas. For more information, contact Mary Bates.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, September 7, 2021:
Hurricane Ida — Update
Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast on August 29, 16 years to the day after Katrina devastated New Orleans.
Some families have lost loved ones, many homes are flooded, and with temperatures soaring, millions are without power—and they still could be weeks from now according to officials. So many in Louisiana need the hope of Jesus Christ.
NALC Disaster Response has delivered 4 trailer loads into Louisiana and the 4 stall shower trailer was delivered yesterday to Metairie LA. Mary Bates is in Elmer New Jersey today to help with the tornado response, tornadoes caused by Hurricane Ida. A truck load of emergency relief supplies will be distributed today.
The death toll is now at 64 people who have lost their lives in this devastating storm.
Your prayers and support are needed. Please collect gift cards and emergency relief supplies as soon as possible. Contact Mary at 740-509-1132, if you can help.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, September 3, 2021:
Hurricane Ida — Update
Hurricane Ida caused damages and loss of life for over 1,000 miles, from Louisiana to the state of New York, causing 13 fatalities in the South and 45 fatalities in the Northeast, for a total of 58 deaths to date. Hundreds of thousands of families have no electricity and many have no water. At Wayne, NJ, the river continues to rise, causing waters in flooded homes to rise as of today Friday Sept. 3.
Hurricane Ida is being called a 500 year event; likely to happen once in every 500 years. We are currently in Covington LA, Lafayette LA, Baton Rouge LA, and Metairie LA. The shower trailer will be set up in Metairie, as soon as drivers can be located.
NALC Disaster Response is currently responding in LA, PA, and NJ. Over 25 homes have been determined destroyed near Elmer NJ, location of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Flood buckets and gifts cards and health kits are needed at this time — NALC congregations in eastern PA and New Jersey are assessing capabilities for distribution sites. Please pray and support these efforts as the full extent of the devastation is not known yet.
For more information, please contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 or [email protected]
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, September 2, 2021:
Hurricane Ida — Update
Hurricane Ida has now moved as a severe storm into the Northeast, causing tornadoes to erupt and devastating flooding through Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.
Our NALC congregations in Elmer New Jersey and Annapolis Maryland in addition to our Pennsylvania congregations are prepared to respond with flood buckets, health kits, and the many emergency supplies needed by the devastated families.
NALC Disaster Response will be delivering emergency supplies to Metarie Louisiana today, establishing volunteer opportunities for those able to respond. Your Prayers especially are needed – so many families were not prepared for this hurricane. Donations will be needed to help these families rebuild their homes and their lives.
For more information and to volunteer, please contact Mary Bates at [email protected] or 740-509-1132 as soon as possible. Your help is needed! Monetary donations made be sent to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, September 1, 2021:
Hurricane Ida — Update
As Hurricane Ida makes her way through the southern states, heading north, NALC Disaster Response has made the first deliveries of emergency relief supplies to Covington LA and Lafayette LA. The devastation that Ida has already wrought is unbelievable. Our hearts go out to all who have felt her impact and we know that recovery will take many years.
Your help is needed. Monetary donations may be sent to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486. Gift cards and donations of flood buckets, Bibles, quilts, health kits, school kits, and baby care items may be sent to NALC Disaster Response, 16500 Noble Ave., Caldwell, Ohio 43724.
Please keep the families and our volunteers in prayer.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, August 31, 2021:
Hurricane Ida — Help Needed
Hundreds of Louisianan’s trapped by Hurricane Ida’s floodwaters were brought to safety on Monday as boats, helicopters and high-water trucks worked as part of rescue efforts after the furious storm ravaged the coast and left more than one million homes without power.
NALC Disaster Response is responding with emergency relief supplies; flood buckets, health kits, Bibles, quilts, school supplies and baby care items for the thousands of families who have been devastated by this hurricane. Through our partners in the Anglican churches, we are deploying to serve in the Baton Rouge area. More information will be posted as we are able to enter the impacted areas.
To support this effort, please send your donations to:
NALC Disaster Response
P.O. Box 860565
Minneapolis, MN 55486
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, August 15, 2021:
Flooding in Gibson City — Help Needed
NALC Disaster Response and the Great Rivers Mission District is responding to massive flooding in central Illinois. Your help is needed! Gibson City to Paxton experienced 10-12 inches of rain in 4 hours on Thursday Aug. 12, causing flash flooding in nearly every home, and 1 death. Please send your prayers and support to NALC Disaster Response, PO Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486. Contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 for more information or to volunteer.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, July 19, 2021:
Idaho Wildfires — Donation Needs
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lewiston, Idaho, is providing support to firefighters and communities impacted by five wildfires burning in western Idaho. The Ohio national warehouse has deli the first truckload of emergency relief supplies for the community. The Central Pacific Mission District has delivered water and socks/underwear for the firefighters. Your prayers for rain (absolutely none in the forecast), your donations and gift cards are needed. Please send your help to NALC Disaster Response, 16500 Noble Ave. Caldwell, Ohio 43724, to cover shipping costs. We will continue to ship into the affected areas as long as the fires are burning. It is not possible to purchase water in the Lewiston area. For more information, contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 or [email protected].
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, July 10, 2021:
Idaho Wildfires — NALC Disaster Response Needs Your Help
Idaho has five wildfires burning and Pastor Alan Daughtery of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lewiston, Idaho, is requesting assistance for the families impacted and for the firefighters working to save as many homes as possible. Some of the wildfires are only 20 miles from the church in Lewiston. The town of Dixie has been evacuated. NALC Disaster Response is responding and needs your help! A truck load of emergency relief supplies will be transported to Trinity for distribution to area families. The shower trailer will be transported from Texas to Idaho and your support is needed. Send your donations to NALC Disaster Response,P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0565 and help Trinity serve these communities.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, June 19, 2021:
Protect Yourself From Severe Storms
In an annual coordinated effort with the National Weather Service (NWS), the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness is promoting June 20-26 as National Lightning Safety Awareness Week and encourages all Ohioans to know what to do before, during, and after thunderstorms, and to practice severe weather safety and preparedness throughout the summer. You can find more information here.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, June 2, 2021:
Prayer Request
Please pray for the families of the victims of the active shooter at the VTA rail yard. NALC Disaster Response provides support through our congregations and St. Timothy Lutheran Church is our local congregation in San Jose – prayers to all.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, May 19, 2021:
San Miguel Lutheran Church, Fort Worth, Texas needs your help!
NALC Disaster Response is assisting Pastor Juan Portillo and his congregation due to the severe storms hitting Texas at this time in addition to the February freezing weather event. TThe church has 18″-2′ of water standing under it and many repairs are needed. Mary is on-site and volunteers will start repairs as soon as possible —send your donations to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0565.
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, April 13, 2021:
Disaster Training & Reginal Warehouse for the Minkota Mission District
On Sunday May 25, I will be a meeting with Emmanuel Lutheran Church Rochester to discuss a regional disaster warehouse for the Minkota Mission District. I will be doing a 2 hour disaster training and discussing the operations of a regional warehouse when disasters strike. Feel free to join us – the location is Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS), 2703 9th Ave. NW, Rochester, MN 55901. The time is from 1pm to 3pm. For more information, contact Mary Bates either 740-509-1132 or Larry and Debbie Vomhof at 507-251-1342
-Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, March 25, 2021:
NALC Disaster Response needs your help!
Several thousand families in the Newnan Georgia area have been impacted by a mile wide and 40 mile long tornado and our NALC congregations are responding. NALC Disaster Response has set up at Word of God Lutheran Church, Sharpsburg. We have already delivered one trailer load of emergency relief supplies to families in need and need more help. The high school was destroyed and the following are needed: School kits, Bibles, health kits and gift cards are needed! Plus your prayers! For more information, contact Mary Bates at 740-509-1132 or [email protected].
Update, February 24, 2021:
5 Days with 44 Hours of Freezing Temperatures
69 Deaths – Hundreds Flee Homes
Burst Pipes, No Electricity, No Food or Clean Water,Widespread Devastation
Over $18 Billion in Damage So Far
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes, from the Lord Almighty” Psalm 121
The Texas winter storm that had five days of snow, ice and freezing temperatures, has caused billions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses, churches, schools, and other structures throughout the entire state. The storm happened in an area of the country that is not prepared to handle such widespread winter storm devastation.
Dollar Per Dollar ALL donations go directly to helping individuals and families!
Mary Bates has been in touch with our Texas congregations and assessment is underway. Many of these families cannot or will not be able to live in their homes for some time. NALC Disaster Response is providing emergency relief and plumbing supplies and volunteers. The need is overwhelming, as the damage is statewide, but God is good and NALC congregations support their brothers and sisters in Christ!
Grocery Shelves are Empty – No Food or Water Available!
Julie Tucker of LCMS Texas states this storm has greatly affected the food chain supply as the several-day power outages have meant a loss of food for families, stores and food pantries. The State Department of Homeland Security estimates that it could take 2-3 months for food supplies to be restored throughout the state to return to normal. For vulnerable populations, this is devastating.
The water is not drinkable in most of the state without boiling it first due to the water plants also being affected by the freezing and burst pipe issues.
Damage Repairs in High Demand – Plumbers Needed – Supplies Limited!
The most significant need is for plumbers to make repairs and plumbing supplies, which are now almost impossible to acquire in the state. The state has estimated the average cost of repairs to burst pipes in a home is approximately $15,000 or more. Although some of this will be covered by insurance, FEMA, or state grants, the high deductibles will make it challenging to fund repairs.
If you are a licensed plumber, have critical plumbing supplies you can bring, and can volunteer to go to Texas to help with recovery efforts, please email Mary Bates at [email protected] or call 740-509-1132.
During assessment of needs, material needs are being compiled. More will be coming on a detailed list of needed supplies.
- Copper Pipe & Fittings
- PVC Pipe & Fittings
- PEX Tubing & Fittings
- Iron Pipe Ball Valves
If you wish to donate any of these materials, contact Mary Bates to make arrangements for pick up or shipping.
To donate gift cards, please send to NALC Disaster Response, 16500 Noble Ave., Caldwell, Ohio 43724. Monetary donations go to NALC Disaster Response, P.O. Box 860565, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0565.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Mary Bates, NALC Disaster Response
Update, February 19, 2021:
Consider attending the National Weather Service’s virtual flood and flood risk training. Learn more here: thenalc.org/gallery/flood-risk-training