Brisbane, Australia, Jan 13, 2011 / 22:51 pm
As floodwaters begin to recede in the urban center of Brisbane and other submerged areas, Catholic charities and churches throughout Queensland expect it will take years to recover fully from the worst flooding in the Australian state's history.
The first priority is to provide shelter and other accommodations for evacuees throughout the second-largest and third most-populated area of Australia, which is larger than Texas and California combined.
During the deluge's third week, on Jan. 11, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh declared three-quarters of her state to be a disaster area– including the city of Brisbane, which is home to almost 2 million people.
The Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, Rev. Brian Finnigan, told the Archdiocese of Sydney's Catholic Communications office that parishes and schools throughout the Archdiocese of Brisbane were “opening their doors to assist those affected.” Other church ministries, however, were in a position of waiting for relief rather than offering it.
“Our central archdiocesan office is closed,” the auxiliary bishop noted, “and we have no power, no lifts and no lights.”