Section 26 Reports to 2013 Synod

Transcription

1 Section 26 Reports to 2013 Synod LCAQD Flood Recovery Report

2 Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland District 19 June 2013 Michael Turner District Executive Officer 2013 LCAQD DISASTER RECOVERY RESPONSE EX-TROPICAL CYCLONE OSWALD Summary Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald caused significant damage and flooding in a number of communities in Queensland; in particular the Bundaberg and Lockyer Valley regions. In order to provide support to Lutherans and communities a national appeal was launched by the LCA and supported by the District. Rev Noack appointed the District Executive Officer, under the spiritual oversight and leadership of Rev John O Keefe to lead the administrative effort in support of recovery efforts. Introduction The LCAQD sees, as part of the services it can provide, a requirement to assist Congregations, Departments and individuals in recovery from disasters. This means that District Office becomes actively involved in mobilising resources to assist in recovery actions. Initial Visit On Tuesday 5 February 2013 Rev Noack, Rev O Keefe, Ms Wendy Hoopert and DEO flew in a private plane piloted by Mr Radke to Bundaberg where we were met by Rev Priebbenow and Rev Jarick. On Wednesday 13 February 2013 Rev O Keefe and DEO travelled to Lockyer Valley Plainland and met Rev Matthias and then Rosewood and met Rev Thiele. On Thursday 14 February 2013 Rev O Keefe and DEO travelled to Lockyer Valley Gatton and met Rev Burton. Subsequent Engagement Since the initial visit there have been periodic visits, calls and correspondence with Pastors and Lay people in Bundaberg and the Lockyer Valley Previous Learning The report from the 2011 Flood Relief effort has been an excellent resource to draw upon. Ms Betty Taylor of Ipswich has been very helpful in being able to provide excellent advice and support to myself, and staff in Bundaberg and the Lockyer Valley. The web site material relating to contents lists for Baskets of Hope, Homeless kits and more are from her experiences. The relief provided is described below.

3 Individual, Business and Farm Applications for Financial Assistance As a result of these disasters it has been recognised that for some there has been significant material loss. In some cases the events have directly threatened people s livelihood and ability to recover their sources of income. Fortunately, assistance from a variety of government and non-government agencies has been available. Support from Mr Trevor Ruthenberg and other MP s has been excellent in alerting the District to sources of assistance has been very valuable. The approach taken by the LCAQD has been to ensure Pastors and those in need are aware of where financial assistance and other support can be obtained from. To this end, the LCAQD has produced and placed on the LCAQD web site material that identifies the type of help available, how it can be obtained and the financial amount available. Pastors and other key leaders have been briefed on the material at hand and taught how to use it. This action has resulted in significant reductions in the need to provide large amounts of financial support to families and individuals in need. Pastors and others act as information brokers and lead those in need to complete on-line applications for assistance from various agencies. In addition to the approach taken above, the LCAQD has provided support as shown below: Immediate Needs Discretionary Funds 1. The guidance initially given to disaster affected Pastors/Congregations was that they would be able to ask for an initial $5,000 (per Parish) for discretionary funds (to be used as they see fit) allocated by LCAQD. This has resulted in allocations of: Bundaberg $30,000 Lockyer Valley $6,500 Maryborough $5,000 Kingaroy $1,500 Rosewood $5,000 Pittsworth $5, Discretionary Funds have generally been: Not restricted to Lutheran families. Used by Pastors/Congregations to serve others in a spirit of grace in the name of Christ. They have been for anyone in need. Used to support valued community initiatives or services. Purchase materials if required, to support the reconstruction efforts of volunteer teams. Limited to no more than $250 per family as an initial gift 3. Baskets of Hope The LCAQD has published on its web site suggested material lists for baskets of hope, homeless survival kits and the like. Congregations have used them as a guide to support local initiatives. The following link will take you to the web page where the material is available Downloads Flood 2013 Documents Public

4 Community Recovery The LCAQD has recognised that many needs are not material they are spiritual and psychological. They take some time to become evident. The LCAQD has therefore provided financial support and or commitments for support for the employment of suitable people by congregations, in a strategic manner (Congregations or Schools working in partnership) for a period of 6 to 12 months. Such people have been given the task of providing attention to: Spiritual and psychological needs, Building capacity in Congregations to engage effectively with those who have suffered, Assisting Congregations to develop effective disaster response plans. An allocation of funds of $46,000 has been made to the Lockyer Valley Parish and $14,800 to the Bundaberg Parish for the purposes above. An additional $4,508 has been provided to Bundaberg Parish for materials eg freezers, food to commence their community drop in and engagement process. Camps Group activities are important in maintaining and enhancing personal bonds. Such bonds can be healing, especially after an isolating time of crisis. Listening to persons stories, giving encouragement, receiving prayer and having the opportunity to grow in Christ and his Word can give opportunity to the Spirit to bring healing and hope to a person s life. An allocation of $30,000 has been made for this purpose. At present a list of over 115 children to potentially attend camps has been compiled and this list is expected to increase as further information comes to hand. These funds are available to support any young Lutheran (and their disaster affected friends) to provide 100% funding to attend Lutheran Youth of Qld s (LYQ) Christian Life Week (CLW) camps in 2013 and other children s camps These funds will also be made available to support leaders attendance at CLW camps. Additional funds may be made available for a special camp/s for the disaster affected. They may be therapeutic in nature and be supported by spiritual leaders and counselling support. LYQ has been approached to provide organisational support in running such a camp/s. Lutheran women Funds will also be provided to support women (and their disaster affected friends) attending Lutheran Women of Qld (LWQ) camps/conferences/retreats in An allocation of $2,000 has been made to support such activities. Support for Lutheran School and State School Students Lutheran Schools in certain areas have students significantly affected by the disaster. As a result, parents inability to pay school fees may cause the withdrawal of students. An initial allocation of $50,965 has been made for this purpose and meets fee requirements for Term 1, specifically $29,535 (supporting 23 children from 15 families) at Faith Plainland College and $21,430 (supporting 31 children from 22 families) at St Johns Primary School Bundaberg. Both schools are in low SES areas and support communities that are not financially robust. It should be noted that school communities supporting Concordia Toowoomba, Bethany Raceview,

5 and others have rallied to provide fee relief and support to flood affected children attending their schools and have not sought assistance from the LCAQD Disaster and Relief fund. Principals will critically review requirements as the year progresses and the potential extra relief requirement may be for $152,895 for the remaining three terms. Some funds ($2,573) have been provided to support additional counselling and spiritual support provided to students and their families in Bundaberg. Funds ($10,000) have also been provided to support basic school material needs in State Schools in disaster affected areas. This money was spent on providing books and materials from state school students in Bundaberg and was channelled via Scripture Union. Funds The total expenditure to date ($116,652) and potential future commitment ($255,701) is $372,353. The LCAQD has drawn down on its funds to date and has received advice that a submission to the General Church Council asking for $254,000 will be supported. In the next quarter I expect that an additional $138,000 may be drawn down as commitments to LYQ for CLW camps, Lockyer Valley disaster relief coordination and counselling services and schools and colleges for relief are fulfilled. This amount will now be able to be met from the generous response of people who have donated to national and district appeals. I appreciate the wonderful generosity of the members of the Lutheran Church of Australia including our District. It is most humbling to see this response. It is only part of the much wider Church response in terms of financial and human resources. The aim of our disaster response strategy has been to provide support to local people and Congregations to empower and equip them so that they may come out of the experience stronger, better organised, robust in their community engagement and well equipped to enact our Lord s work of mercy. This approach will not only have short term effects but also long term implications. This approach is presented with the understanding that we will grow as a Church in our response to disaster situations. Further suggestions are most welcome and may be incorporated into our developing response strategy. Yours faithfully, Michael Turner District Executive Officer, LCAQD Rev John O Keefe Director, LCAQD Ministry & Mission