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Police chaplain serves the tornado-stricken

 
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6:00 P.M. EST May 23, 2011


Lynn Mosley carefully steps over downed power lines in north Minneapolis on the morning of May 23 following damage from a May 22 tornado. A web-only photo courtesy of the Star Tribune/Jerry Holt.
Lynn Mosley carefully steps over downed power lines in north Minneapolis on the morning of May 23 following damage from a May 22 tornado. A web-only photo courtesy of the Star Tribune/Jerry Holt.

The Rev. Linda Koelman got the call shortly after a tornado swept through her church’s north Minneapolis neighborhood.

Since the evening of May 22, she and her fellow Minneapolis Police Department chaplains have been at the city’s area emergency family assistance center as often as possible. She has worked with the Red Cross and others to find resources and temporary shelter for those made homeless after the storms.

Koelman, who is also pastor of North United Methodist Church, spends much of her time listening to the tornado survivors.

“I’m hearing a huge mix of stories,” she said. “Some have nowhere to go because their home was destroyed. Or they had to leave because of a gas leak in the neighborhood, or power outages made it impossible for them to prepare meals for their families.

“Some come to the center, hoping to find a missing family member,” she added. “When they don’t find that person at the center, they are upset. I help them talk through it.”

A tornado initially estimated by the Minneapolis Star Tribune to rate EF2 bore down on the west and north sides of Minneapolis beginning about 2 p.m. May 22.

Hit the hardest was the city's struggling Jordan neighborhood on the north side. The twister left one person dead and 30 hospitalized. Just after the storm, about 22,000 customers were without electricity.


Linda Koelman
Linda Koelman

Trees in this financially strapped neighborhood crashed on to cars parked in the street and into houses. Structural damage, gas leaks and power outages sent people from their homes, many to the emergency family assistance center.

A member of North United Methodist Church brought some clothing for toddlers who might have toilet-training accidents.

She noted that much of the housing in the Jordan neighborhood is rented, and there is no telling when and if landlords will get into the area to assess or repair their property.

Koelman said many storm survivors will spend the next several days “couch surfing,”until they find another place to live.

North Church lost electricity and debris from other buildings litter the church yard, but its structure was not damaged.

A few parishioners called Koelman and reported having lost a roof, house damage, trees uprooted, and power loss. “I can’t get to the parishioners who are in the hardest-hit areas,” she said. The police have prohibited movement in and out of those areas.

The tornado also touched down near the Minneapolis suburbs of Golden Valley, Saint Louis Park and Fridley. Staff at the Fridley United Methodist Church report that many toppled trees now clog the street a block from the church, but the church itself appears to be undamaged.

Donations to help United Methodist Committee on Relief respond to “Spring Storms 2011” can be made here

* Rebeck is the director of communication for the  Minnesota Annual (regional) Conference.

News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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