Hurricane Helene's multistate path of destruction EarthBeat Weekly
Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change October 4, 2024  A drone view Sept. 29 shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, following the passing of Tropical Storm Helene. The storm made landfall at 11:10 p.m. (Eastern time) Sept. 27 in Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane and was downgraded to a tropical storm the next morning. (OSV News/Reuters/Marco Bello)
Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation across the Southeast. The 500-mile-wide, category-four storm made landfall in the U.S. on Sept. 26 in Florida's Big Bend region and then moved its way north and inland. Helene is being described as one of the largest storms in the Gulf of Mexico in the last century, with a wind field spanning roughly the distance between Indianapolis and Washington and with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph at its highest point. As of Oct. 4, the death toll across six states had eclipsed 200, with hundreds of people still missing. Meanwhile, millions of people had lost power in the storm's aftermath. In North Carolina, the priests of St. Eugene Parish in Asheville, part of the Charlotte Diocese, were doing their best to help people suffering. The western part of the state saw torrential rains — Asheville received more than 17 inches of rain, while Busick, roughly 40 miles to the northeast, received more than 30 inches by Sept. 28. "Asheville has not experienced such devastating rains, winds, flooding and an almost total breakdown of the infrastructure for over a century," Maryknoll Fr. Doug May told freelance reporter Barb Fraze, speaking by phone from an emergency outpost in downtown Asheville Sept. 30, four days after Helene hit. In the storm's aftermath, St. Eugene Parish was a point place for food and water. Meanwhile, the priests continued administering the sacraments, including two candlelit weddings. "As in most crisis situations, one witnesses the best and worst of humanity. Folks are reaching out to help with food and water while there are fights in lines waiting for gas," May said. Read more:
In Asheville, North Carolina, priests try to serve amid Helene's devastation
Relief efforts underway in western North Carolina; flooding caused by Helene devastates region In Tennessee, the small mission parish of St. Michael the Archangel, in Erwin, has become a distribution hub to help people impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Glenmary Br. Corey Soignier told Fraze that people from all over the country had been sending donations. Some came from the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky, itself hit hard by tornadoes in 2021. Ursuline sisters were bringing heavy-duty, disaster relief water filters. Some were donating money through Glenmary Home Missioners. By the time the town of just over 6,000 people received the news of the flooding, the storm had passed; the river levels rose as water came rushing down the mountains that surround the town, flooding the Nolichucky River and its tributaries. At the time Soignier spoke with EarthBeat Oct. 1, people could not get to their neighbors stranded in the mountains, but local relief organizations had devised ways to get supplies to those who need them. "We're a small mission parish, but we're doing as much as we can," he said. Read more: Tennessee mission to become post-Helene supply hub: 'We're doing as much as we can' And in Florida, where Helene first struck, four dioceses with substantial coastal exposure along the Gulf of Mexico have been assessing significant flood damage while activating regional distribution centers. Although coastal areas of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee took a direct hit in terms of the hurricane's landfall, many areas in the diocese and around the South suffered from the heavy storm surge and rain, Tom Tracy reports for OSV News. Many people are in shock now and grieving from such devastating loss, including some 15 Florida Gulf Coast churches with either flooding or roofing damage, according to Teresa Peterson, director of diocesan information and communications for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. Catholic Charities for each of the dioceses is coordinating relief efforts. Peter Routsis-Arroyo, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, told Tracy 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 suggest 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. "A lot will get routed out of the state of Florida but certainly our dioceses will need help to continue with long-term recovery over the next few years," he said. "This is going to leave the long-term work to be done by agencies such as Catholic Charities in Florida." Read more:
Helene's impact across broad swath of US South leaves resources stretched thin
Huge swath of Florida confronts Hurricane Helene's devastating impact
What else is new on EarthBeat:
by Brian Roewe With a $20 million EPA grant, "we are not only addressing immediate environmental challenges but also building a sustainable, resilient future for our community," said Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University. Read more here » by Brian Roewe A new national survey found that young people place the greatest responsibility on the government to address climate change. One in three say they will support candidates who share their climate views. Read more here » by Amanda J. Baugh U.S.-based programming designed to celebrate St. Francis' feast day or advance the principles of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' seldom reflects the diversity of Catholic communities, writes Amanda J. Baugh. Read more here » by Mary DeTurris Poust, OSV News "Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly weave Francis' difficult and often uncomfortable lessons into my exceedingly comfortable existence," writes Mary DeTurris Poust. "How do those of us with warm homes and busy jobs and nice clothes make St. Francis into something more than a decoration or a mascot?" Read more here » by SueAnn Howell, OSV News In a summer of firsts, mountain-climbing Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey took to the heights — their locally brewed beer tucked in backpacks — ascending renowned peaks in the Pacific Northwest during the season's brief window of opportunity. Read more here »
What's happening in other climate news:
Why isn't the IRA more of a political winner for Democrats? —Dan Gearino for Inside Climate News Climate was a top question at the VP debate. Both candidates actually answered — sort of. —Tik Root for Grist Biden signs bill cutting environmental reviews for semiconductor industry —Rachel Frazin for The Hill Before the floods, Asheville was called a 'climate haven.' Is anywhere safe? —Shannon Osaka and Sarah Kaplan for the Washington Post American dams weren't built for today's climate-charged rain and floods —Kendra Pierre-Louis and Leslie Kaufman for Bloomberg News 'Everything is dead': Ukraine rushes to stem ecocide after river poisoning —Luke Harding and Artem Mazhulin for the Guardian Tough plastic-killer bacteria discovered in wastewater by US researchers —Mrigakshi Dixit for Interesting Engineering
Final Beat:
Since 1974, the Paulist Center in Boston has presented its Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice to a North American Catholic for making a difference in service, advocacy and transforming institutions. Past winners of the award, named after the founder of the Paulist Fathers, have included many notable Catholics: Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, St. Joseph Sr. Helen Prejean, Martin Sheen, Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle and Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister. The Paulist Center presented the latest Hecker Award to someone perhaps less known — Fran Ludwig, founder and director of the Boston Catholic Climate Movement, a local chapter of the Laudato Si' Movement. Ludwig's work on environmental justice predates Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', tracing back to the first Earth Day in 1970. She co-founded Boston College Alumni for Climate Justice at her alma mater and has advocated the Jesuit school divest its endowment from fossil fuels. She has helped arrange Green Masses and energy audits in Boston and has hosted ecological retreats and Laudato Si' study groups, as well as a now-annual "Greening Your Parish" event. Her efforts have helped spur 10 active Care for Creation teams in the Boston Archdiocese, and she is collaborating with the archdiocese to develop an "eco-guide" for parishes to aid them in responding to the pope's calls for action in Laudato Si'. A member of EarthBeat's advisory panel when it first formed, Ludwig's impact on environmental matters extend beyond herself: A retired science teacher, one of the students she taught in middle school was Bill McKibben, the environmental writer and activist who founded grassroots climate groups 350.org and Third Act. The committee that nominated Ludwig — which included Bill Mitchell, former EarthBeat editor and NCR publisher — commented that "Fran has been tireless in her efforts to protect God's creation." In remarks upon receiving the award Sept. 28 during Mass at the Paulist Center, Ludwig said she shared the honor "with all those who have dedicated themselves to caring for our common home and all its inhabitants." She closed with a call to action: "Take some time to appreciate God's creation. Be grateful for your life and all that sustains your life that is provided by Mother Earth. And then vote for candidates who will promote the health of our common home and all its creatures, including us. And even more impactful, talk about how critical it is to protect our common home to friends, relatives, colleagues, especially in other key states." Thanks for reading EarthBeat.
Brian Roewe
Environment Correspondent
National Catholic Reporter
broewe@ncronline.org
Instagram: @broewe_ncr | 
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