Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida Oct. 9, with winds of up to 180 mph, making a direct hit on the Tampa area of the state for the first time in a century and just two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the region.   

The damage was extensive in the Catholic Dioceses of St. Petersburg and Venice, Helene primarily through its storm surge and Milton through its heavy winds. While destruction has been widespread, cleanup is underway, and the rebuilding process has begun. 

Thi Nguyen is from Saigon in South Vietnam and emigrated to the U.S. in 1994. He’s lived in the Tampa area for the past 30 years and said the storms were the worst he’d ever experienced. Of Milton, he recalled, “From about 8 p.m. Wednesday night until the early morning Thursday, it was very scary hearing the rain and watching the trees sway in the wind.” 

Although his home sat on high ground and avoided serious damage, the following afternoon he went to check on his church, St. Joseph Vietnamese parish in Tampa in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and found the church, gymnasium and education building flooded in waist-deep water. The diocese moved quickly, he said, to bring in equipment to remove the water and is currently working to dry out the buildings and prevent mold. Additionally, many furnishings have been damaged and may need replacement. 

The parish also moved quickly to offer relief to parishioners suffering from the effects of the storm; the Sunday following, the parish had a “giveaway” of food and other essential items for families in need. The supplies were donated from Vietnamese communities in Miami and Orlando, Nguyen said, and even as far away as Houston. 

Lou Ricardo of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg noted that several diocesan properties had had significant damage from flooding, some of which have had to close until repairs can be made. These include Catholic Charities’ Pinellas Hope homeless shelter in Clearwater, which had previously provided temporary shelter to 230 homeless people in tents and “Hope Cottages,” repurposed shipping containers.  

The site is now “uninhabitable,” Ricardo said, and has up to $1 million in damage: “Our tents have been destroyed and buildings damaged, many trees have fallen and our sidewalk has collapsed.” The homeless were evacuated to a nearby Clearwater parish hall before the storm and will remain there until repairs can be made. 

Elsewhere in the diocese, Ricardo said, Catholic Charities has played a leading role in distributing emergency supplies and will also participate in long-term rebuilding efforts. 

The hardest hit parish and school in the St. Petersburg Diocese was St. John Vianney in St. Pete Beach. The site has been closed since Hurricane Helene struck, but will reopen Sunday for Mass using tents on the parish grounds, reported Janet Czyszczon, a parishioner and employee of the school. 

Czyszczon described the damage as “catastrophic,” with the church and school buildings flooded with from one to four feet of water. Nearly all the furnishings and other items within the buildings have been destroyed, with many windows shattered, fencing blown down and damage to roofs. Additionally, she estimates that 75% of the surrounding neighborhood, of which she is a part, has been devastated. 

“It looks like a war zone and feels like a ghost town,” she said. Piles of debris and sand litter the neighborhood, she explained, and homes built on the ground floor (later building codes saw houses built atop garages, like her home) are a total loss. She continued, “People’s mementos — Christmas ornaments, family photographs — they’re all gone.”  Many cars, including Czyszczon’s, were also a loss. 

St. John Vianney parish and its pastor, Father Victor Amorose, have been a “beacon of light” during the ordeal, Czyszczon believes, among both Catholics and non-Catholics in the community. The diocese is assessing damage but vows to rebuild, she said, and many organizations have offered support. Undamaged diocesan schools and the diocesan pastoral center have offered space to continue classes, while others are offering financial assistance, books, desks and other supplies. 

“While on one hand we feel like we’ve gone through suffering of Job, on the other we have a sense of joy and peace and hope for the future,” she said. 

Father Frank Lubowa, pastor of Holy Family Church, reported that the parish was “not so lucky” with the recent storms, with the parish hall, school, rectory, early childhood center and vehicles all sustaining damage from water intrusion and wind. Many parishioner homes have been significantly damaged as well. 

The school resumes operation Monday, however, and space for the early childhood center is on loan from nearby Holy Martyrs of Vietnam parish.   

Despite the challenges, Father Lubowa is confident “God will turn our trials into triumph … we shall come out stronger by his mighty and providential hand.” 

The neighboring Diocese of Venice suffered major damage as well. Father Phillip Schweda of St. Bernard parish in Holmes Beach noted that the storms left the parish hall in three feet of water. Authorities ordered residents to evacuate, and when Father Schweda returned Thursday, he saw grounds littered with fallen trees and debris, boats on the side of the road and sand piles “that looked like snow.” 

Milton’s howling winds “sounded like a locomotive while the building rumbled,” he recalled, and power and water were lost and in some places have yet to be restored. The diocese was quickly on hand to assess damage and begin cleanup, he said. Many other parishes and schools in the area also sustained damage, he reported. 

Chris Root, CEO of Catholic Charities for Venice, said Catholic Charities had set up four distribution sites for food and water, tarps, clean-up supplies and fans to dry out buildings.   

Long-term, he said, “we’ll do what we can to help people rebuild.” 

HOW YOU CAN HELP 

The Diocese of St. Petersburg has a Disaster Relief Fund: Disaster Relief Fund (givecentral.org)

Pinella’s Hope donations may be made at PinellasHope.org/donate/. 

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Venice also is seeking donations: CCDOV | Donate (catholiccharitiesdov.org). 

The Diocese of Venice also has a Disaster Relief Fund, which can be found here: Disaster Relief - Diocese of Venice.