WASHINGTON (CNS) — As the Mississippi River was cresting at historic and near-historic highs as the waters of the swollen river worked their way south, Catholic

Charities and other groups were pitching in with coordinated efforts to help meet the needs of those who have lost their homes and possessions in the floodwaters.

“We’ve only had one parish in (the Diocese of) Memphis that’s been directly affected,” Holy Angels Parish in Dyersburg, Tenn., said Suzanne Aviles, communications director for the diocese. In addition, “Our Lady of Sorrows in Memphis has had to close,” she said. “The building itself is on top of a hill, but it is surrounded by water.”

Only about 1,000 Memphis residents have had to be evacuated thus far. Other downtown parishes had thus far been spared, Aviles explained: “The bluff here is very high. The river would have to get past that to get to the downtown area.”

Talking with Catholic News Service in a May 9 telephone interview, Aviles said, “If it peaks at 48 feet, as it’s supposed to tonight, that will affect some of the tributaries. We’re saying our prayers.”

Sister Mary Lou Stubbs, a Daughter of Charity who is director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas, told CNS by telephone May 9, before the Mississippi crested along the state’s eastern border, that “we’re getting a lot of flooding in north and eastern (Arkansas), along the delta, and in runoff areas.”

“A lot of rivers come together, and they’re backed up, because they can’t get into the Mississippi. I know they have several dams in place, which is going to cause flooding,” Sister Mary Lou said. “We’re looking at significant long-term recovery.”

Catholic Charities is a member of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. “We respond as a team in different phases of a disaster,” Sister Mary Lou said. “As a team, we’re doing our specialties, but we’re all coming together in disaster areas for what we call one-stop shopping: food, clothes, counseling services. For a day we are in a disaster zone, and as many people as can come to us come.”

Sister Mary Lou said members of 15-18 parishes have been trained in long-term recovery, including case management and fund distribution. “We get money from Catholic Charities USA and provide for long-term recovery,” she added. “We provide them with a grant of up to $10,000 out of that disaster fund, and they, therefore, are able to work with people in their area. They can team up with other churches.”

When the money runs out, Sister Mary Lou told CNS, “they send me a report, and if they need more money, they get it. Boy, do they know how to leverage that money! ... These church people are just wonderful.”

As for damages to Catholic churches or properties, Sister Mary Lou said, “We’re going to have to wait until the water goes down. And it’s still rising.”

Kyle Schott, interim executive director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., has visited flooded sites after the Mississippi crested May 5.

“Now that the water’s finally receding around here, we’re just finally getting an idea how much damage there is,” Schott told CNS. “Down in Scott County, there’s a little town called Morehouse that has a population of probably just a few hundred people, and that’s probably wiped out. They said that 70% of the houses were ruined.”

Schott noted that Morehouse was “miles away” from the Mississippi, but was affected because it is close to tributaries that “feed into other things that feed into the Mississippi.”

“A lot of these areas are just basically full of poor people,” he said. “They were just flooded out. We’ve been assisting with people with deposits to get them rents and get them into a new place to live. I sent $7,500 over to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Poplar Bluff, the multi-agency resource center they have over there. They went through $5,000 the first day; this was just last week. I haven’t been back in touch with them to see how they’re doing. ... As it goes along, we’ll say, ‘Okay, what other kinds of unmet needs are there?’”

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Ala., the site of another recent U.S. natural disaster, staff members of Catholic Charities USA were assessing the damage from a series of tornadoes and other violent storms in late April.

“The damage is some of the worst I’ve ever seen,” said disaster veteran Kim Burgo, vice president for disaster operations at Catholic Charities USA. “We are working really long hours on this one and doing what we can to prepare the diocese for the long haul.”

In addition to helping the Diocese of Birmingham coordinate resources, Burgo and her team were helping to identify underserved populations, fill gaps in service delivery and call on people and organizations outside of the area to bring in relief resources.

“It’s really not surprising how the community has pulled together when they see people in need,” she said. “The early responders on the ground are the real heroes in this story,” Burgo added, mentioning the Knights of Columbus, diocesan staff, St. Vincent de Paul Society members, Catholic youth groups and others providing relief efforts.

Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham said Catholic churches and other diocesan buildings “were miraculously spared from major damage” by the tornadoes. “This enables us to use our resources to help the victims of the storms,” he added. “Our 10 centers of concern and all our churches are serving as centers of assistance to help in this massive disaster-relief effort.”

Anne Masline, a student at the University of Alabama, reported in an article for the Catholic Week, the Mobile archdiocesan newspaper, that the Tuscaloosa community also had pulled together quickly after the tornadoes.

“I always knew we had a very close community in Tuscaloosa, but I have never seen so many people band together in such a positive way,” she wrote. “Most churches in Tuscaloosa have been turned into donation drop-off points, including the UA Catholic campus parish, St. Francis. When I traveled to St. Francis to drop off my donations, I saw our entire parish hall full of clothing, paper goods, diapers and many other donations.”

Masline said assistance came from far and wide, including workers from Millbrook, N.Y., who drove 21 hours straight to bring their donations to Tuscaloosa.

“I have been continually amazed to see how people from across the country are going out of their way to help our city in need,” she wrote. “Natural disasters can be horrible, but they can also bring people together. Tuscaloosa may never be the same, but I hope this experience will change us for the better.”