Catholics in Alabama fishing town look to rebuild lives after storm

Published: 2005-09-13

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (CNS) -- The first sign of trouble in the small fishing village of Bayou La Batre is the muddy 60-foot shrimp boat washed ashore and tilted to its side. The boat, in full view during a Sunday morning outdoor Mass Sept. 11 for St. Margaret parishioners, served as a constant reminder of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, not that these parishioners needed any reminders. Many in the town had lost everything in the storm. Near the coast, all that remained of houses were the wooden pilings. The wooden frames, furniture and belongings were tossed about 100 feet away in the woods. Homes farther inland had been soaked in water surges that covered their entire first floors. Many of the town's 2,300 residents also lost their jobs in the fishing industry devastated because fish processing plants were destroyed and pollution is harming the waters once rich with oysters, crabs and shrimp.

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 The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in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 .