North Carolina parishes still coping with Florence waters
In the days and weeks since Hurricane Florence made landfall in mid-September, North Carolina residents are still coping with the massive amounts of water from the storm and the subsequent flooding of the state’s rivers.
Families have been displaced by these rising waters and 27 churches or parish facilities in the Raleigh Diocese have been damaged.
An update on the recovery on the diocesan website of Raleigh notes: ‘Hurricane Florence devastated our community, but together as a community we are recovering! Catholic Charities has been leading the recovery effort. They began providing assistance before the rain even stopped in Wilmington.’
Daniel Altenau, director of communications and disaster services for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, said that days after the storm, local Catholic Charities volunteers loaded up a truck with nappies and supplies and began distributing items to families in need.
Catholic Charities also has held more than 30 events for unloading, sorting and distributing supplies such as food and water, cleaning supplies and hygiene kits for families in the Cape Fear area.
Websites for parishes in the Raleigh Diocese also indicate the extent of storm damage and recovery. The website of Annunciation Parish in Havelock notes that the church ‘sustained quite a bit of water damage’ but would be resuming Masses this weekend.
Picture: A statue of Mary stands in the front yard of a condemned home in Trenton, N.C., on 27th September in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. (CNS photo/Bob Roller).
Tags: Annunciation Parish, Cape Fear, Catholic charities, coping, Daniel Altenau, disaster, flooding, Florence, Havelock, Hurricane, Hurricane Florence, North Carolina, parishes, rain, Raleigh, rivers, storm, waters, Wilmington