Most bishops in hurricane's path accounted for

Published: 2005-09-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Efforts by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Washington headquarters to get through to bishops whose dioceses were in the path of Hurricane Katrina generally met with success in the initial days after the hurricane, as power and telephone outages left bishops and laity alike incommunicado. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. As of the morning of Sept. 1, the USCCB had yet not heard from Bishop Sam G. Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux, La., but had heard from a priest who had seen him. The other bishops in the hurricane-affected region had been accounted for. Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans was staying at a parish in Baton Rouge, La., and with the assistance of Louisiana state troopers was visiting shelters in the Baton Rouge area. Baton Rouge, about 80 miles from New Orleans, has taken in 100,000 people from New Orleans.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .