WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops' Executive Committee Sept. 12
prayed for "the safety and care of human life" after two catastrophic
hurricanes and urged Catholics around the country to offer their prayers as
well as financial support and volunteer help as they can.
"The massive scale of the dual disasters and the effect it
has on communities, families and individuals cannot be fully comprehended or
adequately addressed in the immediate aftermath of the storms," the
statement said, noting that "lives and livelihoods" were "still
at risk in Texas, Florida, the Virgin Islands and throughout the
Caribbean."
Beginning Sept. 6, Hurricane Irma left hardly any place in its
path untouched. The strength and size of the massive storm, with 120-plus-mph
winds stretching 70 miles from its core, leveled entire islands in the eastern
Caribbean, brought unprecedented flooding on Cuba's north coast, devastated the
Florida Keys, snapped construction cranes in downtown Miami and targeted cities
along Florida's Gulf Coast.
Irma dwindled to a tropical storm as it neared the
Florida-Georgia line early Sept. 11 and was forecast to die out over southern
states later in the week. Officials in Florida and across the Caribbean,
meanwhile, started to dig out and evaluate the full scope of the disaster Irma
left behind. As of Sept. 13, at least 37 people died in the Caribbean and there
were at least 19 deaths in the United States.
More than a week earlier, Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on
Houston and southern Texas Aug. 25-30. In a four-day period, many areas
received more than 40 inches of rain. Flooding inundated hundreds of thousands
of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and prompted more than 17,000
rescues. The death toll from that storm stood at 70.
"At this time of initial recovery, we mourn the loss of
life, homes and other property, and the harm to the natural environment, and we
pray for all those affected and in need of assistance" in the wake of the
two massive hurricanes, said the Executive Committee, which includes the
officers of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"We also pray for the safety of, and in thanksgiving for,
the first responders who are risking their lives at this very moment in care
for their neighbors, especially those who are elderly, sick, homeless, or
otherwise already in need of special assistance," the statement said.
The Executive Committee's statement followed by three days a
statement from the president of the USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of
Galveston-Houston, whose diocese was hit by flooding from Hurricane Harvey. He
called for prayers for the victims of Harvey and for those affected by Irma.
"At a time like this, when our endurance is tested, we
implore God to direct us to yet unknown reserves of strength and human
compassion for those suffering so deeply. May our manifestations of love and
solidarity be lasting signs in the midst of this crisis," he said Sept. 9.
The Executive Committee said it shared "Pope Francis' trust
that the Catholic faithful here in the United States will respond to the needs
presented by these disasters with a 'vast outpouring of solidarity and mutual
aid in the best traditions of the nation.'"
"We encourage the faithful to respond generously with
prayers, financial support, and for those who have the opportunity, the
volunteering of time and talents in support of those in need," it said.
In a later statement released Sept. 12, the Executive Committee
said it has requested that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security extend its
renewal deadline for those already in the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals program, or DACA. The bishops said the hurricane-ravaged areas of
Texas and Florida "have some of the largest populations of DACA
youth." The bishops asked that Homeland Security extend the deadline for
renewals that fall within the Oct. 5, 2017, to March 5, 2018, period.
"We ask that you ensure that individuals receive fair access
to renew and are not unduly punished die to natural disaster," the bishops
said. "We fear that they cannot adequately do so at this time given the
physical damage on the ground."