CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- As much of the East Coast braces for Hurricane Sandy, the Church is helping local people prepare for the storm, reaching out to offer shelter to the homeless and organizing disaster response efforts.<\/p>\n\t\u201cSince Hurricane Katrina, we have focused on being prepared for future disasters,\u201d Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said in an Oct. 27 statement. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\u201cNot only are we early responders, but our presence in the community also puts us in a position to be able to quickly assess and provide support in the long-term,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\tAfter hitting Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti, Hurricane Sandy moved toward the U.S. coastline as a Category 1 hurricane, predicted to slam much of the Northeast, including Washington, D.C., New York, and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
\tAs the massive storm starts to hit New England on Oct. 29, its potential to cause damage and take lives is increased by its collision course with an arctic blast from the north. Experts are predicting up to one billion dollars in damage from the storm.<\/p>\n
\tCatholic Charities USA has worked with its local agencies in the days before the hurricane in order \u201cto ensure they have provisions in place to provide for any possible needs the Hurricane may create in their communities,\u201d the group said. Local agencies along the East Coast will be able to provide disaster relief and recovery services after the storm, including food, shelter, counseling and financial support. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\tThe national office said that one of the toughest parts of preparing for the storm was the uncertainty about what its impact will be in different areas.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cOne of the biggest mistakes people make is taking these types of weather warnings lightly,\u201d said Samuel Chambers, senior vice president of disaster operations for Catholic Charities USA.<\/p>\n
\tHe observed that the National Weather Service has indicated that areas of the East Coast from New York down to Florida will feel some impact from the massive storm.<\/p>\n
\tCatholic Charities USA encouraged people in Hurricane Sandy\u2019s path to make sure that they charge their electronic devices and have cash on hand, as well as to assemble an emergency kit in case evacuation becomes necessary, along with bottled water and emergency supplies to last for several days.<\/p>\n
\tThe organization also offered updates in the days leading up to the storm, posting links on Twitter with information on how to prepare for the hurricane and a disaster hotline number.<\/p>\n
\tLocal agencies also spent the weekend preparing for Hurricane Sandy, organizing disaster response efforts and spreading information on how to remain safe.<\/p>\n
\tCatholic Charities in the Diocese of Camden, N.J., assembled an Incident Command Team on Oct. 28 to help ensure that the hurricane response and recovery would run smoothly.<\/p>\n
\tThe agency explained in a Facebook post that it had filled the positions of incident commander, safety officer and liaison officer and was dividing its disaster response and recovery efforts into distinct categories of finance and administration, planning, logistics and operations.<\/p>\n
\tCatholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., announced that its homeless shelters would remain open from Oct. 29 until 7 a.m. on Nov. 1 \u201cso all residents can stay inside during the inclement weather.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe agency tweeted that it had 922 people in three of its emergency shelters on the night of Oct. 28. It also posted a shelter hotline number on Twitter, encouraging readers to \u201cplease call if you see someone on the street who needs to get in out of the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn addition, Church leaders voiced support and encouraged prayers for all of those in the region that is threatened by the hurricane.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cPray for all those impacted by Hurricane Sandy,\u201d tweeted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Oct. 29.<\/p>\n
\tBishop Kevin J. Farrell of Dallas also used Twitter to call for prayers \u201cfor all affected by Hurricane Sandy, including those stranded in its path from the Diocese of Dallas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia urged prayers \u201cfor all those persons injured or forced to leave their homes because of this extraordinary weather disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn an Oct. 29 statement, the archbishop noted that the storm comes amid election year discussions of the \u201cimportant but carefully limited role\u201d of government according to Catholic thought, which places a special emphasis on \u201clocal accountability and ensuring public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHe praised Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Tom Corbett, as well as others in the tri-state area, for responding \u201cquickly and vigorously\u201d so far.<\/p>\n
\tThese officials are \u201cserving their people where it matters most \u2013 at the local and state levels, where the \u2018common good\u2019 has flesh and blood meaning,\u201d he said, offering \u201cthe gratitude of the whole Catholic community\u201d to these officials and the region\u2019s emergency responders.<\/p>\n
\tArchbishop Chaput explained that the archdiocese\u2019s Catholic Human Services would work to provide shelter during the storm.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhile we do not have active disaster relief in place during the storm, we will cooperate fully with the Red Cross and government agencies to provide food, alternate shelter and financial relief as needed after the storm,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\n
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