Candles have been lit in memory of those killed in the shooting at Virginia Tech.
Credit: Paul Lewis

Faith-based disaster response organizations have sent staff and are offering long-term spiritual care support as Virginia Tech continues to reel from Monday's shooting rampage.

The shooting killed 33 people and injured dozens of others in two campus buildings. It is the worst such incident of public violence in U.S. history.

Disaster response organizations, including Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Lutheran Disaster Reponse (LDR), sent teams to Blacksburg. Other faith-based disaster response organizations were offering resources and support to the various congregational staff both to help counsel the public and to care for those caregivers.

"In the wake of the terrible events in Blacksburg. . . Lutheran Disaster Response is called upon to respond - as are you all, as pastors, friends, colleagues and loved family members," said Jan Tobias, LDR coordinator for Virginia. "We are experiencing a tragedy . . . of historic proportions, both in terms of raw casualties and of the ripple effect of the impact on this large university and surrounding community."

Three members from PDA's National Response Team arrived in Blacksburg Monday night and were in contact with local religious leaders. In addition to sending support staff, LDR said it was prepared to send in chaplains if requested and would provide long-term counseling, care and support.

Tobias added that the tragedy's ripple effect from Blacksburg will mean many places may have to provide support.

"We are realizing . . . there will be 28,000 plus all their close relations and friends who are traumatized by this shooting, whether directly impacted or not - and their trauma will be taken back home with them, to communities and congregations all over Virginia and far beyond," she said.

The Salvation Army served 500 meals to law enforcement officials and first responders Monday and said a canteen would remain on campus as long as it was needed. It has also sent five pastoral care counselors to the college.

As they respond, clergy were also offering their thoughts on the tragedy, including the Rev. Richard Vaught, associate conference minister of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Shenandoah Association.

Vaught said "...the comments of a Palestinian (VT) student on CNN this afternoon focused my feelings. He had lived in some very violent places and he said he had felt safe at Tech and in Blacksburg. Now that has changed, perhaps not forever, but for a very long time. Where is there a safe place?"

UCC was in touch with local congregation Glade UCC and counseling and assistance was offered by the UCC National Disaster Office.

The Roanoke District of the United Methodist Church was in contact with its local churches. Carole Click, the district's office manager, said the school's Wesley Foundation provided shelter to students.

"Wesley Foundation at Virginia Tech heard about the shooting within minutes after it happened, and immediately went into shutdown mode and provided a shelter for students adjacent to campus," she said. "They will continue to offer their facilities and staff to anyone in need of their services, for shelter, for use of landline phones or for counseling."

Click added that Blacksburg United Methodist Church is open for prayer and has clergy standing by for "support and encouragement during the crisis. Candles have been lit for each of the confirmed fatalities realizing that the potential exists for additional ones." Other area United Methodist churches will offer prayer services and open sanctuary times for residents.

The university administration also continued to offer counseling to students, faculty and staff.

"It is very difficult for me to express how we feel about what happened on our campus," Virginia Tech president Charles Steger told a Tuesday news conference.

Classes have been canceled for the rest of the week and Norris Hall, where most of the fatalities occurred, will remain closed for the remainder of the semester, he said.

Investigators Tuesday identified the gunman as as 23-year-old VT senior Cho Seung-Hui. Ballistic tests on the two separate shootings showed that the same gun was used in both, but police said they were still not certain if more than one person was the shooter. Cho was identified as the shooter in Norris Hall, where 31 people were killed including the gunman who authorities said took his own life. The shooting there injured 29 people.

Faith-based organizations requested donations to help with the long-term response efforts.

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