In baseball, to be a part of the 30-30 club is a bench-water mark in the career of a ballplayer--a year of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. With the June flooding that has now continued well into July, we have reached the 30-30-30 club in a few short days--nearly 30 federally declared counties, over 30,000 FEMA registrations, and over $30 million in support given to impacted areas and their families. This has truly been a record year!! Our ongoing prayers go out to the families who have had their lives, their homes, and their way of life turned upside down. I have included the most recent statistics of what is happening in the recovery, along with a listing of the disaster recovery centers.

As the water table drops, the long-term recovery for the area will move into high gear. We have already begun to hold meetings to form the long-term recovery committees that will be activated across the impacted areas. As a part of Wisconsin VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), Lutheran Disaster Response is yoked to over 40 other voluntary organizations in bring help and hope in troubled waters. It is a powerful witness to the mission of these agencies that they are bound together with one voice to answer the call to help. We will need each and every one of them, rooted in each and every community response. And we will need each individual to answer that challenge. There is something that you can do. Make a donation to LDR. Call and be a part of a team that volunteers. The waters may be up but they are not over our heads!

Pastor Gary A. Grindeland
Vice President of Church & Community Relations
State Coordinator for Lutheran Disaster Response
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, Inc.
647 W. Virginia St., Suite 300
Milwaukee, WI 53204-1535
O) 414/325-3012
F) 414/325-3124
C) 414/659-4327
ggrindeland@lsswis.org