Washington D.C., Sep 4, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Dioceses in the Gulf Coast have faced unparalleled devastation from Hurricane Katrina and will need massive reconstruction, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, once the clean up is done.
Bishops from dioceses in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama communicated with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), giving indications about the extent of the damage and how dioceses had been affected.
Bishop Thomas Rodi of Biloxi, Mississippi, reached the USCCB by cell phone and said 20 percent of the diocese's churches and a third of its schools have been destroyed. Every rectory, school, convent and diocesan building sustained moderate to severe damage, he said. He was working from his office where there was no water or electricity.
USCCB president Bishop William Skylstad had tried to communicate with all the bishops; some, however, could not be reached.