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Amid Helene’s destruction, survivors need prayer, support and love, says Tennessee bishop

Kathleen Flynn | Reuters Maddie Hackney, who lost everything to Hurricane Helene, paused while looking for clothing Sept. 29 at a donation center in Steinhatchee, Fla.

Resources were stretched thin in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as Hurricane Milton neared landfall in western Florida

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The people of east Tennessee and western North Carolina are working to piece their lives back together amid the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene.

And the Catholic parishes of this region are joining together to lead disaster-relief efforts as communities find themselves without water, basic necessities and even roads to access assistance.

“They need prayer. They need our support and love, and they need to know they are not alone in the journey ahead,” Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville said after an Oct. 2 visit to affected communities in Tennessee.

The disaster unfolded on Sept. 27 as Hurricane Helene blew northeastward after making landfall in the Florida panhandle. With high winds and dark clouds swollen with record amounts of rainfall, Helene unloaded on the mountains of western North Carolina, which sent torrents of water rushing down mountain tributaries and into the Nolichucky, Pigeon and French Broad rivers that flow through East Tennessee.

Almost without warning, the rivers spilled over their banks and consumed everything in their path, including businesses, services, roads, bridges, and most importantly, residents.

The towns of Erwin, Newport, Mountain City, Hampton and Greeneville in east Tennessee are still dealing with the devastation a week later. The communities have been without water, and some roads that connected the towns have been washed away.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has confirmed nearly a dozen deaths from the east Tennessee flooding, with more people reported missing. The agency is continuing to receive calls about missing residents.

During his visit, Bishop Beckman met with parish pastors who are on the front line of disaster relief and who also are ministering to family members of loved ones who died in the floods as well as flood survivors.

When Bishop Michael T. Martin of Charlotte arrived at Immaculata Catholic School in Asheville, North Carolina, he hugged Margaret Beale, the school’s principal, and Melissa Stuart, the new principal of nearby Asheville Catholic School. Both burst into tears as soon as they saw the bishop.

“I think broken hearts are crying out,” said Bishop Martin, pausing while handing off items that he and other diocesan staff had brought with them from Charlotte on Oct. 4. They had come to survey the damage from Tropical Storm Helene firsthand and help with aid delivery efforts.

“The only thing I can do here is to be with people, pray with them, and remind them that Jesus never leaves them,” said Bishop Martin. “They’re tired, they’re worried, and they’re just overwhelmed. Jesus steps into that (situation) all the time. My goal was just to get here and be with people.”

Resources stretched thin

Hurricane Helene’s broad impact across an entire swath of the U.S. South means resources will be stretched thin following the massive storm, according to Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.

Routsis-Arroyo, who has helped facilitate hurricane response efforts around Florida for several decades, said he spent Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 driving throughout some of the affected areas of the Dioceses of Pensacola-Tallahassee and St. Augustine in Florida’s Big Bend area. This trip included rural interior towns impacted by Helene.

The Archdiocese of Miami and Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski have launched an online relief fund appeal to support Catholic Charities’ efforts following the hurricane. One hundred percent of all funds received will be directed to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to those affected by the hurricane.

“The biggest thing (with Helene) is the magnitude of this storm and what the needs may be elsewhere,” Routsis-Arroyo said, following his drive through areas south of Tallahassee including the Florida towns of Live Oak, Cross City, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Perry and Keaton Beach.

He pointed out that hurricane recovery efforts from last year’s Hurricane Idalia were still ongoing in some places, and that the damage he witnessed in the aftermath of Helene suggests a long-term effort that will likely be challenging in light of the storm’s equal or greater impact in the Carolinas and Tennessee in particular. Another large storm, Hurricane Milton, was bearing down on the west coast of Florida, with landfall expected Oct. 9 or 10.

For its part, the Catholic Charities offices of Pensacola-Tallahassee and St. Petersburg will be in need of financial support and in some cases volunteer and logistical assistance in the coming months and possibly years, Routsis-Arroyo said.

The Catholic Charities offices of the Diocese of Venice likewise reported flooding and hurricane recovery needs in parts of its diocese, according to Routsis-Arroyo. More damage is expected as Milton was expected to make landfall in or near that diocese.

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