Oct 23, 2007 / 08:54 am
From Florida to Southern California, local Catholic Charities agencies are mobilizing to help their communities deal with recent and ongoing disasters.
With fires raging in Southern California, local Catholic Charities in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino/Riverside are coordinating and collaborating with their local Catholic and disaster relief partners to assess the needs and determine relief efforts.
In Florida, Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida is helping families who lost their homes recover from strong storms and a tornado that tore through the northern panhandle last week.
“Catholic Charities USA’s Office of Disaster Response is working closely with local agencies to ensure that our network has the tools and resources it needs to respond to these disasters,” said Kim Burgo, director of disaster response for Catholic Charities USA. “We anticipate making emergency grants available to our agencies to support their immediate efforts.”
Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church’s social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.