Disaster Response

Recovery after Hurricane Ian

After Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, LCMS Disaster Response organized a full-scale recovery effort in conjunction with the affected districts and the LERT volunteer network.

Photography by Erik M. Lunsford

On Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, killing nearly 150 people and causing $113 billion in damages. The areas around Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples were particularly hard hit.

As information about the situation became known, LCMS Disaster Response immediately began organizing a full-scale response effort in conjunction with the affected districts, district disaster response coordinators and the Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) volunteer network.

Initial steps in the response included:
• A grant to Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), an LCMS Recognized Service Organization (RSO), to help fund a chainsaw camp in Venice, Fla.
• The establishment and outfitting of a LERT camp at Zion Lutheran Church, Fort Myers.
• Assistance for LCMS workers and congregations in meeting insurance deductibles. The assistance utilized matching funds from the LCMS Florida-Georgia District.
• A grant for the RSO Forged by Fire, which provided 6,000 meals to the community of Fort Myers.
• A grant for Pelican Lutheran Church in Naples, which offers outreach to the Haitian and Spanish communities.

By Oct. 10, LERT volunteers from the LCMS Northern Illinois District and LCC were already working at Lakeside Lutheran Church in Venice, Fla., and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Englewood, Fla.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Ed Brashier was also on the scene, helping to haul away 19 loads of downed trees and branches from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sarasota, Fla. As volunteer team leader at the RSO Shepherd’s Heart Ministry and district disaster response coordinator for the LCMS Southern District, Brashier brings years of experience with tree removal to the job. His team of two worked for two days at Good Shepherd while waiting for other members to arrive before heading south to work in the Fort Myers area.

“The LERT training system is one of the best in the country,” said Brashier. “I’m proud of the Lutheran church for going the distance and staying the longest in these disasters, even after other ministries pull out.”

LERT groups continued to assist for several months. In March 2023, LCMS Disaster Response organized three one-week trips for students at the Synod’s seminaries and Concordia universities. A Lutheran student organization at a public university also sent students to serve. These three deployments were unique because they offered LERT training to the students while also giving them the opportunity to immediately put what they learned into practice.

“The students who received the LERT training are fully certified … [and] are welcome to join with other LERT members in future response efforts. I’m hoping that, once they graduate, they remain connected to LERT,” said the Rev. Michael Meyer, director of disaster training for the Synod.

LCMS Disaster Response is an important part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s efforts to bring the love and mercy of Christ to those in need. LCMS Disaster Response is funded through the generosity of contributors who give specifically to this work.

Learn More

Reporter article: ‘God Is Still Here’: Response to Hurricane Ian

Reporter article: Hurricane Ian Supply Distribution Begins

Reporter article: Lutheran Early Response Team: ‘Going the Distance’ in a Disaster

Lutherans Engage article: Service Over Spring Break

Learn about upcoming trainings and deployments on the LERT website