• Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
The Texas Catholic
The Texas Catholic

Dallas, Texas

Today is Tuesday, May 30, 2023
  • Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Instagram
Home
Nation

Bishop ‘profoundly saddened’ by deaths, damage from Midwest storms

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

A man sits outside his destroyed home May 23, 2019, following a tornado in Jefferson City, Mo. An outbreak of strong storms the evening of May 22 spawned tornadoes that razed homes, flattened trees and tossed cars across a dealership lot, injuring about two dozen people in Missouri’s capital city and killing at least three others elsewhere in the state. (CNS photo/Carlo Allegri, Reuters)

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ domestic policy committee May 24 called for “prayers for the victims and their grieving families and communities” affected by devastating storms from Texas to Illinois.

“I am profoundly saddened by the loss of life and the damage caused by the tornadoes and storms throughout the Midwest and related regions these past few days,” said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

“As of this writing, millions of people in at least seven states have been affected by the powerful winds, rainfall and rising water levels caused by these conditions,” he said in a statement.

Bishop Dewane noted that at least seven people have been killed in Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma. Severe weather was expected to continue “in this devastated area” in the days ahead, he added.

“We are grateful that Catholic Charities and other organizations are in place working to provide for emergency needs” and to help people rebuild their lives and homes,” he said.

The Catholic Charities USA website — https://catholiccharitiesusa.org — has information about its efforts to help communities hit hard by the storms.

AccuWeather and other weather services said there were 33 reports of tornadoes May 22, mostly in Missouri and Kansas. A day earlier, 24 tornadoes were reported, mostly in Texas and Oklahoma.

On May 23, an AP story said, tornadoes again “strafed the middle of the country,” mostly in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Flooding also has been a concern in many communities, with rising rivers and streams forcing residents fleeing from their homes.

In Missouri, a violent line of thunderstorms that spawned the tornadoes killed three people in the southwest part of the state and caused minor injuries to at least 20 people in Jefferson City, authorities said. Some people in the state capital were trapped in their homes or apartments and had to be assisted by safety forces.

In a May 23 statement, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City expressed gratitude that all residents had been accounted. Some people were forced from their homes as the storm swept through the city of 43,000 just before midnight May 22.

He said the staff of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri were assessing the needs of residents. Diocesan offices on the west side of Jefferson City and Catholic parishes around the town were unaffected by the storm.

“Please continue to pray with us, for those who have suffered from this natural disaster and also for those who are coming to their assistance,” Bishop McKnight said.

The most severe damage occurred in a three-square-mile area south and east of the central part of the Missouri capital, Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams told reporters.

About 40 to 45 people were being housed the afternoon of May 23 in a school on the west side of the city, authorities said.

Homes, apartments and businesses lost roofs and windows. Power lines were down and trees and other debris blocked roads, hampering the initial emergency response. Some scaffolding erected around the Missouri State Capitol for renovation work was damaged, but the building escaped unscathed.

A spokeswoman for Catholic Charities USA said the agency was working with Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri to assess how to best respond to people affected by the storm.

CCUSA also was weighing its response in areas of northeast Oklahoma and elsewhere, where residents have been displaced by flooding caused by days of heavy rain.

  • Tags
  • Nation
  • USCCB
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
Next article Two nuns to join faculty at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic School
Previous article All children deserve a home, pope says, encouraging adoption

Related Posts

Knights' film on chaplain's faith, heroism traces how his remains were returned home 70 years after his death Nation
Sunday, May 28, 2023

Knights' film on chaplain's faith, heroism traces how his remains were returned home 70 years after his death

Fifty years later, N.Y. priest still draws on Vietnam combat experience to minister to others Nation
Friday, May 26, 2023

Fifty years later, N.Y. priest still draws on Vietnam combat experience to minister to others

Uvalde Catholic community marks painful anniversary with Mass, prayers Nation
Thursday, May 25, 2023

Uvalde Catholic community marks painful anniversary with Mass, prayers

Texas Catholic Classics

A look at the five Dallas law enforcement officers who gave their lives while protecting citizens during a mass shooting in downtown Dallas in July 2016.

 

How a child with special needs inspired a high school volleyball team, community and a family who heeded God’s call to protect life.

 

After a young runner collapsed at a Dallas marathon, grace and providence unfolded for those involved in the valiant effort to help her.

   

In the summer of 2016, 50 students and 25 chaperones from Dallas Catholic high schools traveled to Nicaragua for a 10-day mission trip.

 

Early on a November morning, Kenndrick Mendieta bounded from the gym at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep toward the campus’ athletic fields as clouds lifted on a fresh new day.

 

Subscribe

Get the award-winning Texas Catholic delivered to your door. Use the menu below to subscribe now.


Subscription length




 

Photo Gallery

Click here to find your favorite Texas Catholic photographs.

The Texas Catholic Newspaper

Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Michael Gresham, Editor

3725 Blackburn Street
Dallas, Texas 75219
(214) 379-2800

Our Affiliated Sites

Texas Catholic Youth

Revista Católica

Legal and Other

Contact us

Terms of service

Privacy policy

Site map

Site powered by TexasCatholicMedia

© 2013-2019 The Texas Catholic Publishing Company. All rights reserved.