Catholic hurricane relief efforts under way in Caribbean, Florida

Published: 2004-09-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the Caribbean and southeastern United States faced one of the worst hurricane seasons in memory, Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services stepped in with emergency relief aid to some of the hardest-hit areas. In mid-September, as people across the Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Ivan and Tropical Storm Jeanne was bearing down on Puerto Rico and approaching hurricane strength, Floridians were still recovering from the massive damage caused by Charley in mid-August and Frances just three weeks later. Between Charley and Frances, Deacon Gerald Collins, disaster response director for Catholic Charities USA, visited Florida to assess the damage and discuss relief needs with local partner agencies. The national agency immediately sent emergency grants of $10,000 each to Catholic Charities of the Orlando and Venice dioceses after Charley. Following Frances it sent $10,000 to Catholic Charities of the Miami Archdiocese and a second $10,000 grant to the Venice agency. More help was on the way. Catholic Charities USA spokeswoman Shelley Borysiewicz said Sept. 15 that her latest tally, from two days earlier, showed that more than $915,000 had been donated so far for victims of Charley or Frances.

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