Catholics to aid victims of hurricane

As the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina continues to be assessed, Catholic Charities agencies from throughout the U.S., including the Albany Diocese, are responding to the immediate needs of evacuees and planning for long-term recovery.

Long-term efforts could include temporary and permanent housing, mental health counseling, getting people back into their homes, job placement counseling, and medical and prescription drug assistance.

Here is a rundown of some of the relief efforts:

* Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese is responding in three ways: collecting monetary donations, identifying properties in the Diocese that might serve as shelters for displaced people and coordinating dozens of people with expertise in such areas as counseling who could go to the affected area.

* Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge and Catholic Charities of New Orleans are working with appropriate recovery partners, including FEMA, the Red Cross and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.

The agencies are identifying resources, referring victims, and assembling material assistance that will be used in the weeks and months ahead.

The Baton Rogue agency has also set up a grief counseling line, while the staff from the New Orleans agency is providing counseling to those being evacuated.

* Teams from the Catholic Charities agencies in Florida and the Florida Catholic Conference, which have experience with post-hurricane recovery, are providing advice and guidance to agencies in the impacted areas.

These teams will be going to Mississippi and possibly Louisiana to provide technical assistance on the front lines.

* Catholic Charities of Memphis is providing shelter for families displaced by Katrina. It is also supplying clothing, food and counseling services.

* Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston is providing assistance to displaced persons by getting them to shelters. For those traveling to stay with relatives, Catholic Charities is offering one- or two-night stays, often at a hotel, and providing them funds for food, gas or transportation to their destination.

They are also coordinating with the Red Cross to find longer-term shelter for those with no relatives.

* Catholic Charities of San Antonio is providing food, clothing and personal items to victims. It also matching victims with host families in the community.

* Meeting the long-term housing needs of hurricane survivors on their way to the nation's capital is the immediate priority for Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C.

The agency is working with the 140 parishes of the Archdiocese of Washington and others in the community to find property owners or real-estate agents who can donate vacant housing units.

* Catholic Charities of Arkansas has established a hurricane relief office and is asking that all parishes to appoint a hurricane relief coordinator at the parish level.

The agency will provide disaster relief, case management and resettlement training to all parish relief coordinators so that direct services can provided at the parish level.

* With more than 30 years of immigration and refugee experience to draw on, Catholic Charities of Orlando is identifying and resettling evacuees. The agency expects that thousands will be resettled in the next few months.

Catholics to aid victims of hurricane

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard has asked all parishes in the Albany Diocese to remind Catholics to pray for "our neighbors who have lost and suffered so much."

He also asked parishes to take up a special collection to relieve "the enormity of the need in the wake of the hurricane devastation."

Some parishes took up the collection last weekend; others have scheduled it for Sept. 10-11.

Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese is the clearinghouse for donations to Hurricane Katrina relief. Donations can be given to parishes, which will forward them to the main office, or directly to Catholic Charities, 40 N. Main Ave., Albany, NY 12203.

(9/8/05) [[In-content Ad]]