Bells rang out in St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans Sunday as residents of New Orleans marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The storm slammed near one of the major US cities, forcing over a million people from their homes.
Catholic Charities USA, a Caritas member in America, responded by providing much needed aid following the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. More about their work can be found in “Katrina & Rita: Five Years Later.” The report, which can be downloaded at http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org, describes Catholic Charities’ sudden 2005 role as an early responder, providing survivors with emergency cash and rental assistance, food, medical supplies, crisis counseling, case management, transportation, temporary housing and employment services, as well as assistance in applying for government aid.
“For as long as the need remains, Catholic Charities is committed to rebuilding better communities, helping families become self sufficient, and ultimately, creating a better tomorrow,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, who began his tenure as president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA just months before the disaster and now sits on the Caritas Internationalis governing Bureau.
“While we are very proud of our accomplishments, there remains much work to be done and the Gulf oil spill earlier this summer has only exacerbated things in much of the very same area.”
