A local nonprofit that specializes in water purification and a Louisville parish have been busy helping to ensure clean water and cold-weather gear flow to Hurricane Helene survivors.
They’re working through St. Michael the Archangel Church in Erwin, Tenn., and with the Glenmary Home Missioners who serve the parish.
Their efforts are also supporting small communities in Virginia affected by hurricane-generated mudslides, said Ursuline Sister Larraine Lauter, who is coordinating the aid with the help of Ursuline Sister of Louisville Carol Curtis.
Hurricane Helene made landfall near the Florida panhandle Sept. 27, spreading destruction nearly 800 miles into the mountains of Appalachia.
The St. Michael faith community in Erwin is grieving for at least three members who were killed in the storm’s floods, said Sister Lauter, an Ursuline Sister of Mount St. Joseph. One individual is still missing. The mission parish has about 150 families, many of them Hispanic and Latino.
“Pray for all concerned. They all know each other and it’s a lot of pain,” she said during a recent interview.
As co-founder and executive director of Water by Women, Sister Lauter has distributed more than 6,000 water filters to hurricane survivors in Erwin and parts of Virginia.
“The realization is hitting them” that recovery will be long-term, she said.
When it comes to long-term recovery, water is chief among the needs facing survivors, she said.
To meet that need, Water by Women distributes Sawyer PointOne water filtration systems that can provide families with clean water for years to come, Sister Lauter said.
U.S. military veterans — who are putting their training to use in the service of hurricane survivors — are helping deliver the water filters by helicopter into areas where roads have collapsed, said Sister Lauter. Among them are people who’ve lost their homes and are camping in the mountains, she said.
With cold weather setting in, members of St. Michael also need jackets, coats and blankets.
Epiphany Church in Anchorage is helping to collect these cold-weather items.
Tim Grove, pastoral associate of Epiphany, said he’s pleased with how parishioners have responded, adding that a large load of coats, jackets and blankets are already on the way to St. Michael.
“We wanted to do the most we can to help Sister Larraine help others hit hard by the hurricane,” said Grove.
While recovery efforts have begun, Sister Lauter identified some specific items needed to continue:
- There’s a need now for two to three-gallon buckets, which are used with the water filtration systems, and additional cold-weather items. Donations may be dropped off on weekdays at Water by Women’s offices, 1902 Campus Place, Suite 11, Louisville, Ky., 40299.
- The non-profit is also accepting donations to cover the cost of baby formula for families served by St. Michael in Erwin. Checks may be made out to Water by Women and designated for “baby formula.”
- Donations to purchase additional filters, which cost $45, are also being accepted. Individuals may donate to that cost by visiting waterbywomen.org.
Finally, Sister Lauter is asking for people to pray for those who are grieving, including St. Michael parish in Erwin.
“It’s important for us as Catholics to reach out to the affected churches and see how we can support them,” she said.
