I have always been interested in music. My sister was in high school when I was born, and so I grew up under the influence of her 45 RPM record collection. There was a song at the end of the 1950s that expressed how quickly things can change. While that is a familiar theme in Scripture, it seemed novel to me as a kindergartener. The song was “What a Diff'rence a Day Makes” by Dinah Washington. It was a love song, but I didn’t catch on to that part. I was struck by the bold assertion that “24 little hours” could change the weather, the environment and the mood of our experience of life.
This Labor Day, we visited my daughter in Asheville, North Carolina. We spent a day at the North Carolina Arboretum, enjoyed the New Belgium brewery by the French Broad River, walked in the Biltmore Village and watched the chimney swifts go to bed at the forestry camp restaurant. The pace was relaxed, the scenery beautiful, and the town historic. And all of that remained pretty much the same until Thursday, September 26. And in a little more than 24 little hours, everything changed.
Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida late Thursday night and quickly began a devasting path through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. By Friday morning, high winds and heavy rains were buffeting Asheville. Trees fell on power lines. Biltmore Village was swamped with floodwaters. The French Broad River rapidly rose and overflowed its banks, bringing rushing water and mud damaging the New Belgium brewery and the adjacent River Arts District. Much of Asheville was without power, water, cell phone service and gasoline. The interstate highways that service Asheville were closed. As of Thursday, October 3, the death toll in Asheville’s Buncombe County was confirmed by the Sheriff at 72. My daughter described the scene of devastation there as “apocalyptic.”
This week, I contacted Catholic Charities USA to learn about their response to the situation in Asheville and the affected parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Here is what I learned. Catholic Charities USA is providing direct support to Catholic Charities agencies in east Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; South Carolina; northwest Florida; St. Petersburg, Florida and Venice, Florida as they support their devastated communities. Several tractor-trailer loads of water have been sent to Catholic Charities of East Tennessee and Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. Hygiene kits have been sent to Catholic Charities of South Carolina. Cleaning kits, diapers, children’s activity kits, oral rehydration products and blankets are enroute to Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg. Catholic Charities locations in Acadiana, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Ocala, Florida; and Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina have been established as hub locations to distribute goods regionally. Many Catholic Charities agencies outside the affected areas — including Houston, Raleigh and Sacramento, California — are assisting with technical needs, case management and other support services. Catholic Charities USA Disaster Response Team members will be on the ground in Tampa and Charlotte in coming days to support disaster relief and recovery efforts by local Catholic Charities agencies. In the Diocese of Columbus, Portsmouth and New Boston in Scioto County had some flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Catholic Social Services is collecting funding to assist Scioto County in its recovery efforts.
What a difference a day makes. Things can change in an instant, but more importantly, love is the force that changes everything for the better. Not an abstract love but a personal one, visible in action. We should know this through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and his call for us to follow him and to love our neighbor, the one in need. The song is about eros, our faith is about agape.
To show some love and compassion for our neighbors in need, you can donate to Catholic Charities USA to support the recovery of hurricane victims in all the affected areas. Go to https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/what-we-do/disaster-relief/hurricane-helene-response/. To support local recovery efforts in Portsmouth, go to: https://colscss.org/.
