Andrea, Gabrielle, Olga, Wendy. It’s not a list of trending baby girl names in the U.S., but something much more ominous. The names represent four of the 21 names given to 2025 storms once a tropical depression strengthens into a tropical storm. They are names that signify hurricane season.
While the season technically runs through November, the devastation can impact communities for years following a storm.
As we prepare ourselves for response, we look back on how your love has surrounded U.S. neighbors facing disasters — hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes and wildfires — and how it continues to stand with them for as long as it takes.
Whether local or long-distance, your compassion reaches those in need
Lutheran World Relief began responding to our neighbors in crisis in the U.S. last summer. This historic expansion — made possible by your faithful generosity — coincided with multiple catastrophic events. These responses mirror our longstanding international work, which ensures your compassion reaches those most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach by working alongside trusted, local faith partners.
To date, you have supported more than 500,000 of these U.S. neighbors in their darkest moments, providing critical emergency assistance through $1 million in cash grants and the distribution of truckloads of essential supplies, including LWR Quilts & Kits.
And your love doesn’t stop when the storm is over. It often takes our neighbors years to fully recover from disasters. Your kindness accompanies them on the road to recovery.
IN THE MIDWEST AND SOUTH
OKLAHOMA, TEXAS AND OTHER HARD-HIT COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST:
- Communities stretching from the Midwest to the Southern Plains were decimated after a series of tornadoes hit the area over a series of days. Because of you, those impacted have access to life-sustaining support, including cash assistance, food, water, clean-up kits and LWR Quilts & Kits.
IN MISSISSIPPI:
- Our neighbors endured relentless disasters, as devastating tornadoes reduced communities to rubble just days before massive flooding swept away what little remained. Your love supports them with cash assistance, debris removal, emergency aid and comforting LWR Quilts & Kits.
IN TENNESSEE AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IN ARKANSAS:
- We're assisting devastated households with cash assistance, debris removal services and LWR Quilts & Kits.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
Hurricanes Helene and Milton wreaked havoc on our neighbors in North Carolina and throughout the southeastern US. Thanks to our incredible donors, help was on the way before the hurricanes even reached land, providing 10 truckloads of LWR Quilts & Kits, carrying 60,000 quilts and 76,000 kits to families whose homes were damaged or destroyed. And that support continues, as many families are still in need.
IN NORTH CAROLINA:
-
Because of you, neighbors reeling from back-to-back disasters knew they weren’t facing their heartbreak alone. Your love provided hot meals, LWR Quilts & Kits, bottled water, cash cards, household necessities, clothing, hygiene items, tarps and clean-up kits.
IN FLORIDA:
- ‘LWR Quilts were all they had...’ Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene battered the Southeast, Hurricane Milton crashed into an already-ravaged Florida. Many families lost everything, including their homes. With nowhere to go, no belongings and no place to sleep, many sought refuge in parks, forced to sleep on the cold, muddy ground. Our local partners responded by distributing kits and LWR Quilts, wrapping them in warmth and comfort when they needed them most.
THE WEST COAST
IN CALIFORNIA:
- When wildfires in southern California obliterated everything in their path, your compassion has embraced our neighbors left with nothing. Your support is providing assistance for partners on the front lines with essential supplies and direct cash assistance to help with immediate needs. LWR Quilts and Kits are part of our ongoing response to this disaster-prone region.
When our neighbors need help and hope, YOUR LOVE PROVIDES BOTH.
Thank you for everything you do to serve others.
Until your love reaches
every neighbor.
Note: As the needs of our neighbors constantly evolve, so does our response. These details were updated at the time of publication.
