We may not be able to control when or where the next natural disaster may strike. But at Lutheran World Relief, we believe in being prepared and rushing to help our neighbors in their time of need.
After all, it’s usually those who are already struggling who suffer the most from natural disasters and changing weather patterns.
Paul Macek, who leads Lutheran World Relief’s programs supporting rural economies and agricultural livelihoods, explains, “The most vulnerable in society — women, youth, people with disabilities and even indigenous populations — are typically the most affected, since they lack the resources to respond to shocks. They may have less savings to rely on when a crisis occurs, or they may lack diversified income to be able to rely on one source when another is negatively impacted.”
Here are five places affected by a surge in natural disasters — and how your support helps vulnerable families to weather the storms.
The Americas: Increasing superstorms
More Category 4 and 5 hurricanes hit the U.S. mainland from 2017 to 2021 than during the previous 53 years. And because the oceans continue to warm, more and more devastating storms are predicted for the foreseeable future.
Communities in North Carolina, Florida and beyond are still reeling from the damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2024. Worse, our neighbors in Latin America are still in the process of rebuilding from back-to-back hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020.
Thanks to donors like you, LWR can rush emergency aid to families in the immediate aftermath of these storms. Food, clean water, shelter, LWR Quilts & Kits and basic supplies are essential in a crisis. In fact, emergency relief is still reaching our neighbors in North Carolina months after the storms.
But emergency aid isn’t enough when homes and livelihoods are completely lost. To truly weather the storms, families need more sustainable solutions.
Jose Santos Lorenzo Arce in his cacao grove in Honduras.
Jose Santos Lorenzo Arce is a farmer in Honduras who grows cacao, bananas, plantains and oil palms. Just days before the cacao harvest, Eta and Iota swept across his farm and those of his neighbors — leaving several feet of standing water in their cacao groves. “Every farm I work with was affected in some way, with most a total loss,” he says.
As the cacao pods soaked up water and became rotten and moldy, hundreds of families mourned and worried for the future. “If there is no plant to process, there is no production. If there is no production, there is no food on our tables,” he explains. And one bad harvest can set a family back for years.
Farmers in neighboring Guatemala had similar struggles after the storms, which damaged flowering cacao plants so that no fruit could be produced. Then all the excess moisture led to insect infestations. At harvest time, they produced only 20-50% of their normal crop.
How you’re helping families affected by hurricanes
Lutheran World Relief works with coffee and cacao farmers in Central America to help make their farms more resilient.
Demonstration of clonal farming in Guatemala.
This support includes teaching shade management, pruning and fertilizer application. They also provide training in clonal farming — shown above — to produce plants that have certain desirable traits, such as a resistance to insects.
Nepal: Frequent flooding
Destructive flooding from monsoon rains is common in Nepal
Nepal ranks as the world’s fourth most vulnerable country to natural disasters. Glaciers in Nepal’s Himalayan mountains are melting twice as fast as they were 25 years ago. Monsoon rains are also growing more intense. September 2024 saw record-breaking rainfall that caused widespread damage and loss of life and livelihoods.
To make matters worse, deforestation and erosion in the mountains cause landslides that fill the rivers with sediment – leaving nowhere for the extra water to go ... except outward in all directions. This creates a perfect environment for flooding.
And who lives along the river? The poor, Dalit and indigenous families that are already struggling to make ends meet. Without warning, flash floods wash away valuable crops, livestock and homes — and put people at serious risk of drowning.
Ram Kumar Yadav stands on a dry riverbed that is completely full of sediment. When it rains, the water floods his farmland, which borders the river.
How you’re helping flood-prone communities in Nepal
More than a decade ago, Lutheran World Relief began working with flood-prone communities along rivers that form the border of India and Nepal. This work included education about search and rescue, disaster preparedness and flood-resilient agriculture. As a result, our neighbors are much better equipped to support each other when the siren wails to indicate a flood is coming.
Today, you are taking this success even further by supporting vulnerable families to increase their incomes. Farmers are learning new techniques to grow flood-resilient and off-season crops. Others are learning valuable skills such as mat weaving, fish farming or carpentry to diversify their incomes.
Nigeria: Weather whiplash
Farmers in Nigeria are struggling due to what is called “weather whiplash” — extreme weather conditions that happen one after the other. For example, extended drought may be followed by heavy rains, or unseasonable lows may follow record high temperatures. These swings are very disruptive to the growing cycle — and to vulnerable families’ incomes.
Kate Odi on her farm in Nigeria.
Farmer Kate Odi has made a living growing cacao for more than 12 years. She says unpredictable weather patterns are her greatest challenge. “There are supposed to be plenty of cacao pods here. Mature pods,” she says, pointing to a bare cacao tree. “But because of dry weather, we are unable to have pods even in June. This is supposed to be the rainy season.”
How you’re helping farmers in Nigeria
With your support, more than 51,000 cacao farmers in Nigeria are learning resilient farming techniques to improve their productivity, even when the weather is unpredictable. According to Macek, one technique is to plant shade trees to protect young cacao seedlings from heat and to help them retain moisture.
The goal is to help these farmers double their outputs, improve their access to markets so they can sell for higher prices, and reduce child labor on cacao farms.
California: Wildfires
In California, rapid swings between rainy weather and droughts have made certain regions extremely prone to wildfires. Rain increases the grasses and shrubs, then droughts cause them to dry up and turn into kindling.
During the devastating January 2025 fires in Los Angeles, multiple wildfires broke out during a period when the seasonal Santa Ana winds were especially powerful. Gusts measured over 100 mph — making the fires impossible to contain. Whole communities — homes, schools and churches — were turned to ash.
How you’re helping fire-affected communities in California
Your support means people affected by the fires can receive the comfort of LWR Quilts & Kits, as well as other emergency support such as hot meals, household supplies and support for transportation to get out of harm’s way and access services. You are also supporting local partners to meet needs for recovery and rebuilding.
South Sudan: Four years of extreme flooding
South Sudan continues to endure one of the world’s worst and longest-lasting humanitarian crises. Two-thirds of people experience poverty. Due to ongoing violence, millions live their lives on the run.
What’s more, seasonal rains cause widespread flooding every year. The few roads that exist wash out. Farm plots and grazing land are completely submerged for half the year. While most South Sudanese are used to this rhythm of life, that rhythm is changing. For the past four years, the floodwaters have not fully receded — leaving entire communities stranded and making agriculture a challenge.
Food, clean water, medical care, hope ... everything is scarce in this new normal.
Nyaluit Chuol and her family in their tent.
Nyaluit Chuol is a young widow and mother of five children. Nyaluit wanted to stay in the region where she was born and raised, but due to the prolonged flooding, she ran out of food to feed her family. Carrying her babies on her back, she walked 70 miles to find dry land and peace in a displacement camp.
Shortly after arriving, two of her children got sick with measles and became severely malnourished. Thanks to Lutheran World Relief, basic health care is available in the camp — but Nyaluit’s children needed advanced care. The problem? The nearest hospital is accessible only by boat, and she didn’t have a canoe.
How you’re helping families affected by flooding in South Sudan
Life in a displacement camp is difficult. Donors like you ensure families fleeing violence and floods receive nutrition screenings when they arrive, as well as other health care through our mobile clinics. They also receive seeds to grow nourishing foods on their small plots of land, and some receive livelihoods training so they can generate sustainable income.
Because of the flooding and the remote location of the displacement camps, your support enabled Lutheran World Relief to purchase a motorboat to transport supplies and medical equipment between camps. The boat is also used as an ambulance to take patients to the hospital — cutting a five-hour canoe trip down to one hour.
The boat is used to carry medical supplies and patients.
Together, we are helping families affected by natural disasters
As people of faith, we can all agree that no one should suffer when we have the calling, resources and knowledge to help. Your generosity helps us to prepare and act quickly when disaster strikes.
Thank you for loving your neighbors whose lives and well-being are affected by changing weather patterns and natural disasters.
