Hurricane Helene’s broad impact across an entire swath of the U.S. South means resources will be stretched thin following the massive storm, according to Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.
Disaster Relief
Archdiocese of Baltimore sets up relief fund for victims of Hurricane Helene
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has set up a fund to accept donations to benefit those in need in the wake of devastation caused Sept. 26-30 by Hurricane Helene.
‘Déjà vu, only worse’: Catholic aid workers ‘at risk everywhere in Lebanon’
As the Israel-Hamas war expands to include attacks in Lebanon — where the Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah is based — OSV News interviewed Michel Constantin, regional director for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission in Palestine.
Huge swath of Florida confronts Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact
Four Florida dioceses with substantial coastal exposure along the Gulf of Mexico have been assessing significant flood damage while activating regional distribution centers following Hurricane Helene.
Relief efforts underway in western North Carolina; flooding caused by Helene devastates region
Relief efforts are under way to help communities across western North Carolina reeling from the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene.
International community ‘can and should do more’ for Burkina Faso, ACN says
As the Catholic Church commemorates the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees Sept. 29, Burkina Faso, “the world’s neglected crisis,” faces this reality: Over 2 million people, or 10 percent of the population, are internally displaced.
Helene downgraded but not before causing massive flooding, major damage, several deaths
As Florida prepared for the massive Hurricane Helene to make landfall along the state’s Gulf Coast the evening of Sept. 26, Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee livestreamed his personal reflection and prayer.
Churches shelter people escaping violence as death toll from Israeli attacks climbs in Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon meant to target Hezbollah militants have led to over 550 deaths, including 50 children and 94 women, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Christian churches in the country are sheltering people escaping violence.
Caritas ‘shocked’ by murder of director in Democratic Republic of Congo
The director of Caritas in Congo was shot and killed by an armed militant group while approaching a roadblock, Caritas Internationalis announced.
Amid dramatic scenes of floods sweeping through entire villages, Polish Catholics rush to help
As Poland was bracing for the biggest catastrophe since 1997 when the so-called “flood of the millennium” killed 114 people in Poland, Czech Republic and Germany, volunteers and help, including loads of supplies and money from Catholic charities, poured into the region to ease the pain of the people who lost everything.
Nigeria’s Diocese of Maiduguri appeals for aid as floods strike former Boko Haram epicenter
Catholic leaders in northeastern Nigeria appealed for prayers and humanitarian support as devastating floods engulfed Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, known as the epicenter of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram’s insurgency.
Historic Franciscan monastery under water as southwestern Poland suffers disastrous floods
Poland’s government is preparing a decree of a state of natural disaster as the southwestern part of the country was severely flooded by torrential rains caused by Storm Boris.