Three major hurricanes. Hailstorms. Drought. Flooding. Tornadoes. And the largest wildfires on record in California history, burning several hundreds of thousands of acres and killing dozens of people in Northern and Southern California.
These natural disasters in 2017 all caused widespread destruction and claimed hundreds of lives. They added up to the most expensive year on record for natural disasters in the United States, with $306 billion in damage. In 1980, there were three natural disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damage in today’s dollars. In 2017 there were 16.
In the aftermath, Catholic agencies responded with emergency aid and undertook fundraising campaigns to help people of different walks of life who lost friends, relatives and neighbors, as well as homes and livelihoods. Recovery is still ongoing and rebuilding in the affected areas will take years to complete.
Dominican Sister Donna Markham, as president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), heads one of the largest Catholic agencies responding with emergency aid. In an interview with Catholic Herald magazine, she discusses the role of CCUSA in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, in partnership with diocesan Catholic Charities agencies.
Q: Can you explain the importance of collaboration -- in the aftermath of natural disasters – between CCUSA and diocesan Catholic charities agencies in relief and recovery efforts?
A: Every Catholic Charities agency could be faced with a disaster in their community at some point. This past fall, as we faced the enormous humanitarian crisis following the hurricanes and fires, CCUSA initiated an online giving strategy that resulted in an outpouring of generosity of the American people. (Editor’s note: CCUSA raised more than $25 million in 2017 for disaster assistance.)
This made it possible for us to get emergency funds and goods to affected areas immediately. We committed to deliver 100 percent of donations received as quickly as possible to the disaster areas so that life sustaining food and water, along with other goods, could be provided. CCUSA also assists agencies with ground support, short-term emergency grants, technical expertise, access to specialized resources, connectivity to disaster experts, and deployment teams when needed and requested.
We provide training in Disaster Operations to Catholic Charities members so that the local agencies are ready to respond. Deployment teams and member-to-member insights and advice are readily available to agencies from other agency members who have experienced a disaster.
Importantly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has long been a partner with CCUSA in insuring that long-term disaster recovery initiatives can continue in our communities long after the emergency phase is over. The bishops often call for a second collection in parishes so that the considerable damage inflicted upon people and property can be ameliorated over the course of the ensuing years. (Editor’s note: The USCCB in 2017 collected $38.5 million in 2017 for hurricane relief and another $1.3 million for Mexican earthquake relief.)
Q: We have had many natural disasters recently in California and expect more in the future. Can local Catholic Charities agencies apply for grants from CCUSA to provide relief and recovery services?
A: Yes, agencies can apply for short-term emergency grants of up to $10,000 and for larger grants made available through the long-term recovery donations described above. These grants are in addition to the emergency response contributions given through the American people who wished to respond immediately to the overwhelming need.
Q: What types of training does CCUSA offer to staff of diocesan Catholic Charities agencies?
A: The Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence (AIDE) is offered annually to Catholic Charities agency members. The training is designed to train Catholic Charities agency staff in the various stages of disaster including immediate response, long-term recovery, mitigation and preparedness.
Q: What is the importance of collaboration between local, national and global Catholic relief agencies?
A: In any disaster, the ultimate goal is to assist disaster survivors, both in the immediate and long term, so they can recover and be self-sufficient again. Whether it is a domestic disaster affecting the U.S. or U.S. territories or an international disaster, the collaborative efforts of Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Internationalis bring knowledge and expertise to the respective situations. Collaboration among these extensive Catholic humanitarian organizations allows us to promote best practices and share lessons learned so that the church can best serve individuals and communities in crisis.
Q: Because of your expertise as a clinical psychologist, what are your thoughts regarding providing Mental health services to victims in the wake of natural disasters?
A: Understandably, trauma can set in quickly in the aftermath of any disaster, whether that be natural disasters or acts of violence. It is important for people to have access to mental health care as expeditiously as possible so that the effects of trauma do not become consolidated in the psyche. People need to be able to share their stories with someone whom they trust and work through the issues of fear and grief associated with a given event.
That is the reason many health professionals volunteer their services to disaster victims and it is the reason why Catholic Charities agencies provide clinicians to survivors. Key is the rapidity of response. When trauma is ignored, results can impair quality of life for years to come.
Q: What does our Catholic faith say about being a part of efforts locally and globally?
A: Disasters invite each of us to put into practice the Gospel. As Pope Francis reflected on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he stated: “Today no one in our world feels responsible; we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters. We have fallen into the hypocrisy of the priest and the Levite whom Jesus described in the Parable of the Good Samaritan: we see our brother half dead on the side of the road, and perhaps we say to ourselves, 'poor soul,' and then go on our way. It’s not our responsibility, and with that we feel reassured, assuaged….Let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan: In taking the wounded man to a hotel, caring for him and paying the bill, the Samaritan teaches us that love and compassion ‘are not a vague feeling,’ but mean taking care of one another, even to the point of paying the expense in person.”
Disasters provide us with the opportunity to stretch ourselves in compassion and generosity as we tend to those who are broken, bereft and vulnerable. This is at the heart of our faith and at the core of the Gospel.
LEARN MORE about Catholic Charities USA at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
In photo above, Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, greets a person impacted by Hurricane Harvey in September 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photography by Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Courtesy of Catholic Charities USA)
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