Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued the following statement praying for the lives and safety of all those impacted by Hurricane Ida which has made landfall in the Gulf Coast and has moved inland as a tropical storm, continuing to cause damage across several states:

“Hurricane Ida has hit the Gulf Coast and brought with it catastrophic damage with wind, rain, storm surges, and flooding. As the storm moves inland, it continues to hit communities in several states and causing damage. Multiple dioceses of the Church in the United States have been affected. I call on people of goodwill to join me in praying for the safety, well-being, and protection of everyone in these impacted areas. We also pray in a special way for the first responders, health care workers, and emergency personnel who bring relief, comfort, and healing. I urge our Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill across the country to stand in solidarity with these impacted communities. We entrust all our brothers and sisters in harm’s way to our Blessed Mother, and we ask for her continued protection and for her intercession in comforting those who are suffering.

“Catholics and all people of goodwill may help our brothers and sisters in their recovery by supporting the work of Catholic Charities USA at https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/2021-priorities.”

Ida, one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States, struck Louisiana on Sunday with winds of more than 150 mph. About a million residents are without power and coping with shortages of food, water, and gasoline. Widespread heavy infrastructural damage occurred throughout the southeastern portion of the state, as well as extremely heavy flooding in coastal areas.

As of August 31, four direct deaths have been confirmed in relation to Ida; two in Louisiana and two in Mississippi. An indirect death occurred in Louisiana when a man was mauled to death by an alligator after walking through Ida’s floodwaters.