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Situation Report #2: Maui Wildfires
Situation: On Aug. 8, 2023, multiple wildfires broke out on Maui. Exacerbated by strong winds, they destroyed homes, businesses, and lines of communication. The town of Lahaina was the most impacted, although there was also damage from smaller fires near…
Lutheran Disaster Response at COP28
What is COP? COP stands for the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is “the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC.” What is the UNFCCC? The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty…
Spiritual Rest
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day [God] rested from all his work. Here in Genesis 2:1, we learn about the continuing of creation, flora and fauna,…
Human Rights and Climate Change
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), written to address the atrocities committed during World War II. Since then, the United Nations and other bodies have adopted additional documents on human rights….
Situation Report #2: Crisis in the Holy Land
Situation: The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen – almost 70% of Gazan residents are displaced, and resources such as food, water and medical supplies are in short supply. The death toll has far surpassed those of previous conflicts in the…
Situation Report: Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
Situation: Due to escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel, a severe humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Holy Land. Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is providing support to Augusta Victoria Hospital to procure medical supplies and accommodations for patients and…
Situation Report: Hawai’i Wildfires
Situation: On Aug. 8, multiple wildfires broke out on Maui. Exacerbated by strong winds, they destroyed homes, businesses, and lines of communication. The town of Lahaina was the most impacted, although there was also damage from smaller fires near Kihei…
Reflections from the 2023 National VOAD Conference
At the beginning of May, five Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) staff members attended the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) conference in St. Louis, Missouri. NVOAD is a coalition of community-based, faith-based and nonprofit disaster response organizations throughout…
Situation Report: Sudan Conflict
Situation: On April 15, violence broke out between opposing military groups in Sudan. Most of the fighting has been in the capital city of Khartoum, but some has now spread outside the city. Because of the conflict, many civilians cannot…
Situation Report: Cyclone Freddy
Situation: After forming near Australia, Cyclone Freddy traveled westward, eventually making its first landfall in Madagascar on Feb. 21 and then two more landfalls in Mozambique. In addition to Madagascar and Mozambique, Malawi was profoundly affected. Freddy led to at…
Situation Report: March tornadoes in the Southern U.S.
Situation: From March 24-25, a powerful line of thunderstorms swept through the southern United States, spawning at least 20 tornadoes. Across multiple states, tornadoes and strong winds damaged buildings and knocked out electricity. The largest tornado was an EF-4 that traveled through…
Roma refugees from Ukraine face racism, discrimination
Mariia Simian, from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, is living through war for a second time. Just three years old when World War II tore across Europe in the 1940s, she says the memories haunt her. “I remember everything,” she says. “I often…