As the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina continues to take its toll along the Gulf Coast, Catholic Charities agencies from around the affected region and well beyond are actively responding to those in need. Catholic Charities agencies are working to meet the immediate needs of evacuees, as well as planning for the process of providing assistance for long-term recovery efforts. Catholic Charities agencies in the impacted area are also continuing to assess the extent of the damage and work with other relief organizations to respond.

In addition to providing emergency services to evacuees, Catholic Charities agencies will provide assistance that will help hurricane victims and communities recover in the long-term. While Katrina's damage is still being evaluated, based on past disasters, the long-term services that Catholic Charities may provide include temporary and permanent housing, mental health counseling, direct assistance beyond food and water to get people back into their homes, job placement counseling, and medical and prescription drug assistance.

Snapshot of Local Catholic Charities at Work

Here is a look at just some of the local relief efforts.

Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge and Catholic Charities of New Orleans are coordinating services in Baton Rouge. They are working with all of the appropriate recovery partners, including FEMA, Red Cross, and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. In any disaster situation, Catholic Charities focuses on long-term recovery efforts. The agencies are currently assessing the extent of the damage and how best to respond. As they focus on long-term recovery efforts, the agencies are also working hard to identify resources, refer victims, and stage material assistance that will be used in the weeks and months ahead. At the same time, they are trying to restore the services we provided before Hurricane Katrina knowing that they will be needed more than ever. The Baton Rogue agency has also set up a grief counseling line and staff from the New Orleans agency are providing counseling at the city's Louis Armstrong International Airport to those being evacuated.

Teams from the Catholic Charities agencies in Florida and the Florida Catholic Conference are already providing advice and guidance to agencies in the impacted areas. These teams will be going to Mississippi and possibly Louisiana in the next couple of day to start proving technical assistance on the front lines.

Catholic Charities of Memphis, Inc. is just one of the local Catholic Charities agencies working with other groups in the community to assist the thousands of people who have come to Memphis for refuge. The agency is providing shelter at one of its facilities for families displaced by Katrina. In addition to shelter, it is also providing clothing, food, and counseling services for approximately 100-150 people. St. Peter Ministries, the community outreach division of Catholic Charities of Memphis, is coordinating the registration process for families who need shelter.

Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston is providing assistance to displaced persons by getting them to shelters immediately. For those in transit from the disaster area ( i.e., traveling to stay with relatives, etc.), Catholic Charities is offering one or two nights stay, often at a hotel, and providing them funds for food, gas, or transportation to their destination. They are also coordinating with the Red Cross to find longer-term shelter for those with no relatives to go to as well as providing food to these people.

Thousand of evacuees have been transported to San Antonio. Catholic Charities of San Antonio is partnering with the city to provide intake workers to process the evacuees as they arrive. In addition, the agency is providing food, clothing, and personal items to victims of the storm. It also is the agency responsible for matching victims with host families in the community. The agency is working with all the partner agencies in the faith community.

Meeting the long-term housing needs of hurricane survivors on their way to the nation's capital is the immediate priority for Catholic Charities of Washington, DC. Up to 400 survivors of Hurricane Katrina may arrive at the D.C. Armory this weekend. Other survivors are already making their way to the national capital area. The agency is working with the 140 parishes of the Archdiocese of Washington and others in the community to find property owners or real-estate agents who can donate vacant housing units.

Catholic Charities of Arkansas has established a hurricane relief office and is asking that all parishes throughout the diocese appoint a volunteer or paid hurricane relief coordinator at the parish level. The agency will provide disaster relief, case management, and resettlement training to all parish relief coordinators so that direct services can provided at the parish level. The Catholic Charities hurricane relief office will be responsible for the overall coordination and support of parish efforts and the coordination of efforts with other relief agencies.

Catholic Charities of Chicago is gearing up to shelter about 50 evacuees that have been airlifted out of Louisiana by United Airlines. The Red Cross is putting them up until Tuesday.

Catholic Charities USA’s members — more than 1,400 local agencies and institutions nationwide — provide help and create hope for over 6.5 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For more than 275 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing. For more information, visit www.catholiccharitiesinfo.org.