Baton Rouge, La., Sep 2, 2008 / 09:25 am
Catholic Charities has announced that it is collecting financial donations to assist Gulf Coast communities that were damaged by Hurricane Gustav. The donations will initially focus on directing critical resources to the hurricane victims.
Seven deaths have been linked to Gustav as it knocked over trees and power lines in the Gulf Coast region. The hurricane came ashore about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans on Monday before moving northwest, hitting costal cities such as Houma and Morgan City, leaving 1.4 million homes in Louisiana without power and 92,000 in Mississippi, according to CNN.
To assist the impacted families, Catholic Charities facilities in the region plan to open community resource sites where residents can access food, water, toiletries, cleanup supplies, and other resources provided by partner agencies.
Additionally, response teams will continue to survey the region to assess damages and identify communities’ unmet needs.
“With compassion and commitment, we are here to help our brothers and sisters in the Gulf Coast,” said Fr. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. “Catholic Charities USA is firmly dedicated to rebuilding lives, rebuilding communities, providing help, and creating hope.”
Hurricane Gustav was reduced to tropical depression status on Tuesday morning, however the National Hurricane Center has reported that Tropical Storm Hanna could build into a hurricane as well as storms Ike and Josephine.