A year after hurricanes, Southern dioceses still trying to recover

Published: 2006-08-09

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Southern dioceses from Texas to Alabama are still reeling from the swath of destruction left by last year's hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi, Miss., both hit hard by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29, have taken steps toward recovery, but full-scale restoration is still a long way off as thousands of residents no longer have a place to live, churches and schools remain damaged and community service programs are no longer operational. The coastal area of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala., is also in the midst of recovery. Church structures have been repaired, but residents of the small fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Ala., are still living in trailers and trying to salvage what they can from destroyed homes and fishing livelihoods. Farther west at the Texas-Louisiana border, the impact of Hurricane Rita, which slammed the area Sept. 24, is evident in ongoing repair work. In the dioceses of Beaumont, Texas, and Houma-Thibodaux, La., there has been a flurry of repairs of homes, schools and churches, but in a storm-devastated area of the Diocese of Lake Charles, La., repairs are only just beginning.

Copyright (c) 2006 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 The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in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 .