(OSV News) – As Hurricane Milton took aim at Florida just days after Hurricane Helene, Catholic Charities USA launched a dedicated disaster relief donation campaign. CCUSA – the official domestic relief agency of the Catholic Church in the United States and a member of Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s global network of humanitarian outreaches – announced the fund on Wednesday, October 9, as Milton churned across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. The hurricane fluctuated in intensity and was a Category 4 by midday on October 9, but it made landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm on the evening of Thursday, October 10, near Siesta Key, Florida, a barrier island next to Sarasota, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and powerful storm surges. Provided by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South BendMatt Smith, left, Chief Development Office of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Waybe-South Bend, receives a check from Bishop Dwenger High School Principal Jason Schiffli on Friday, October 11. The money donated from the Bishop Dwenger community – totaling more than $2,000 – will support Catholic Charities USA as they send and support disaster response teams throughout affected areas. Milton flooded neighborhoods, destroyed homes, and ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, the home stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. The field had been set up to shelter first responders. More than 3.3 million in the state were without power early on October 10, with the death toll as of Friday, October 11, at least 16. The Associated Press reported that ahead of Milton’s landfall, more than 130 tornado warnings associated with the storm were issued by National Weather Services offices in Florida. Donations to the CCUSA relief fund can be made on the agency’s website at ccusa.online/milton, by texting MILTON to 20406, or by mailing checks to CCUSA at 2050 Ballenger Ave., Suite 400, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314. Information about additional ways to give can be obtained by contacting CCUSA at (800) 919-9338 or [email protected]. “What we can say is the storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst case scenario,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said early on October 10 during a news briefing from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. “The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.” Milton hit Florida as the region is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 227 people across six states in late September. The National Hurricane Center reported that Milton weakened to a Category 1 storm as it swept through the state “and moved offshore.” President Joe Biden, who approved requests for federal emergency declarations from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., chair of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, canceled his upcoming trips to Germany and Angola due to the expected impact of the hurricane. A drone view shows a destroyed beach house in Manasota Key, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024, after Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9. As homeowners assessed damage to their property, about 2.2 million customers in Florida remained without power the morning of Oct. 11, according to poweroutage.us. (OSV News photo/Ricardo Arduengo, Reuters) In the October 9 announcement, CCUSA officials said that “100 percent of all funds raised will be allocated to local Catholic Charities agencies, which will provide critical relief – including shelter, food, and other humanitarian aid – to displaced and suffering members of their communities.” “Our brothers and sisters urgently need our prayers and our support as Hurricane Milton brings life-threatening conditions to Florida communities, some of which are still reeling from Hurricane Helene,” CCUSA president and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson said. So far, CCUSA has distributed more than $1.9 million to Catholic Charities agencies in states affected by Hurricane Helene, and agency officials said it “will stand by these communities through the long-term recovery.” They also said they respond to more than 60 disasters every year, ranging from hurricanes and tornadoes to fires and floods. The post Catholic Charities USA launches Hurricane Milton Relief Fund appeared first on Today's Catholic.