Our Response to Recent Disasters

For those in our Hoya community who can and who wish to support disaster relief efforts through monetary donations, we have tapped our network of Catholic, Jesuit, and mission-based partners to identify several organizations serving the affected regions.  

Wildfires in California, Washington, and Oregon

During the 2020 season, over 3 million acres have burned in California, hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated on the West Coast, and the staggering scale of loss is only beginning to be understood. (fire.ca.gov) Please consider supporting:

• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
• Red Cross
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) California Wildfires Recovery Fund (new window)
• California Community Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund
• United Way of Jackson County, Oregon

Hurricane Laura (August 27)

Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana and eastern Texas as a category 4 storm which expectations to be downgraded to a tropical storm by evening. Please consider supporting:

• Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, Texas
• Catholic Charities of Acadiana, Louisiana
• Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana, Diocese of St. Charles
• The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (new window) is the only U.S. disability-led 501(c)3 nonprofit with a focused mission on equal access, disability rights and full inclusion of people with disabilities, older adults, and people with access and functional needs before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.
• Southern University Law Center Disaster Law Clinic (Scroll to the bottom the page, click the Yellow Give button, and select Disaster Law Clinic from the drop-down menu.)

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon (August 4)

An explosion the city of Beirut, Lebanon killed over 200 people, injured 5,000, and incurred widespread damage. Many Hoyas call Beirut home and have organized as Hoyas for Lebanon to fundraise for St. George Hospital. Read this post by Dan Corrou, SJ who reports from the Jesuits and JRS staff in Beirut, and offer this Prayer for Beirut. Other Jesuit and Catholic organizations to support include:

• Jesuit Refugee Service in the Middle East
• Catholic Near East Welfare Association, a Vatican agency
• Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization for Catholic charitable agencies such as Catholic Relief Services, Development and Peace, CAFOD 
• Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical foundation: 
• Malteser International, relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta 
• St. Joseph University in Beirut, and its University hospital

Resources for Faculty, Staff, and Students

For those of our Hoya community affected by these disasters, we have many resources available.  

• If you are in need of spiritual accompaniment, Campus Ministry chaplains and staff are available. For assistance, please call (202) 687-4300.
• To connect with a clinician at CAPS, please call 202-687-6985 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.). The CAPS after-hours service is available by calling 833-960-3006. 
• Members of the faculty and staff can schedule an appointment through the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program by emailing fsap@georgetown.edu.
• The Georgetown University Alumni Association (GUAA) is also a resource for those impacted. Regional teams reach out to alumni in their affected area, and the GUAA encourages alumni in these areas to update the university regarding their situation.