Burlington, Vt., Aug 30, 2011 / 23:21 pm
As Catholic Charities agencies respond in the aftermath of the hurricane and tropical storm Irene, Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington has expressed his “prayerful support” for Vermonters suffering the storm’s effects.
With the guidance of Vermont Catholic Charities, the Church in the state is assessing the extent of the storm’s devastation to determine the particular needs of the people, the Diocese of Burlington said on Aug. 30.
Irene dropped up to 11 inches of rain on Vermont over the weekend and caused normally small mountain streams to flood. The floodwaters smashed buildings and ripped homes from their foundations, surprising many.
As of Aug. 30, the death toll for Hurricane Irene stood at 42 people, and of that number, at least three were from Vermont.