When Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, the Catholic health ministry responded. Entire communities in Mississippi and Louisiana were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina's winds or by widespread flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and in desperate need of the most basic necessities. The Category 5 hurricane caused more than 1,800 deaths and an estimated $108 billion in damage, according to the National Weather Service. The Catholic health care and social service ministry was a vital part of the nationwide effort to help people affected by the hurricane, according to coverage in the Sept. 15, 2005, edition of Catholic Health World.
Coverage of the hurricane and the Catholic health ministry's efforts continued in the October issues of Catholic Health World.
Further reading:
'Step up and lead': Catholic health system CEO shares lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina