New Orleans, La., Aug 28, 2005 / 22:00 pm
As Hurricane Katrina makes landfall, and as New Orleans and the U.S. gulf coast brace for what some meteorologists have called a “worst case scenario”, Catholic Charities USA has already begun collecting donations for the massive relief efforts which are sure to follow.
Spokesperson Shelly Borysiewicz, reported that the group is “collecting financial donations to help communities recover from the damage brought on by Hurricane Katrina. Donations will be used to fund local Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term disaster recovery efforts in areas hit by the hurricane.”
Some reports suggest that damages could reach the 20 billion dollar mark.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has evacuated their administrative offices on accordance with a mandatory order for all of metropolitan New Orleans--it will remain closed throughout the day.