North Carolina Catholics mobilize with relief as state emerges from Helene’s floodwaters

CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2024 / 16:10 pm

Catholic agencies in western North Carolina are mobilizing to help with relief efforts amid devastating flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, which dumped torrential rain on mountain communities there leaving serious damage and dozens dead. 

Patricia Guilfoyle, assistant director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte, said churches across the diocese are gearing up to serve as aid distribution points. Municipal water systems have been swamped and damaged, roads and access points have been washed away, and utility lines have been downed since the flooding began in earnest on Friday. 

The city of Asheville, a gateway to the Smoky Mountains, was especially hard-hit along with hundreds of smaller communities. The death toll for Helene continues to rise, standing at at least 121 across six different southern states, The Washington Post reported. This includes at least 35 deaths in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, local police reported. 

Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Charlotte Diocese, and other diocesan leaders have been contacting pastors in the affected areas to survey parishes’ immediate needs and evaluate how best to help, the local Catholic News Herald reported. Asheville is about 125 miles west of Charlotte.

In Hendersonville, North Carolina, flooding and leaks from the roof and windows at Immaculata School inundated multiple classrooms, the gym, and its new STEM lab. The adjacent Immaculate Conception Church also experienced water damage in the sacristy, the diocese reported.

Most of the Charlotte Diocese’s churches, however, including a historic basilica in Asheville that recently received a major renovation grant, are “relatively undamaged, thank God,” Guilfoyle, the diocesan communication professional, told CNA via email.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte is running a donation campaign to raise funds for relief efforts. Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, a ministry of the nearby Diocese of Knoxville, is also accepting donations. At least 150 people have been reported missing in Tennessee as of Sunday. 

“Electricity, drinkable water, food, medical care, and cellphone service are in critically short supply in western North Carolina in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene,” the Charlotte Diocese noted. 

Emergency relief supplies are being collected at the Charlotte Diocesan Pastoral Center (1123 S. Church St. in Charlotte) this week for daily delivery to parishioners and residents of Hendersonville and other areas of western North Carolina, the diocese said. 

Needed supplies include bottled water, sanitary wipes, nonperishable food, baby food, formula, diapers, pet food, flashlights, zip-close bags, and batteries. Supplies can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, through Thursday, Oct. 3.

Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte on Friday dispensed Catholics from their Sunday Mass obligation in places impacted by the storm. Some churches held Sunday Mass as usual even without power, the diocese noted. 

Helene made landfall in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region on Thursday night as a Category 4, bringing a 9-foot storm surge to some areas and knocking out power for millions. Weakening into a tropical storm over land, it brought deadly flooding and damaging winds inland to Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas.

Numerous dioceses in Florida, which bore the brunt of the storm, are collecting donations and coordinating aid with the help of Catholic Charities USA. 

President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for 25 North Carolina counties on Saturday, making residents there eligible for federal assistance through FEMA.