Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Catholic News ServiceMarch 05, 2019
A tree is seen on top of a car March 4, 2019, following a tornado near Beauregard, Ala., the previous day. At least 23 people were confirmed dead in Lee County, Ala. (CNS photo/Elijah Nouvelage, Reuters)   

MOBILE, Ala. (CNS) -- With search and rescue efforts underway for the tornado that whipped through Alabama and other parts of the South March 3, Mobile Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi asked for prayers for "those who lost their lives and their loved ones as well as those who have lost homes and businesses."

"The catastrophic tornadoes which occurred yesterday in the Archdiocese of Mobile have brought loss of life and devastating damage," said the archbishop in a March 4 statement.

He added that as recovery efforts begin, Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Mobile has reached out to the pastors of the affected areas to offer assistance for those in need and Catholic Social Services "stands ready" to be a part of the recovery.

The violent storms caused at least 23 deaths and scattered debris across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and parts of South Carolina, knocking out power for more than 10,000 homes.

In Lee County, Alabama, where the tornado hit ground in the town of Beauregard, the sheriff's office told reporters March 4 that 50 people were injured and that the number of missing was in the double digits. Sheriff Jay Jones said he expected the number of fatalities to rise.

"It's extremely upsetting to me to see these people hurting like this and the families who have lost loved ones," Jones said in a Weather Channel report. "This is a very tight-knit community. These people are tough. They're resilient people, and it's knocked them down. But they'll be back."

He also described the devastation as shocking, adding: "It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood, debris everywhere, trees snapped, whole forested areas where trees are snapped and lying on the ground."

The threat of severe weather continued late into the night March 3 when a tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia and a large portion of South Carolina.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV greets religious sisters during a meeting with officials and employees of the Roman Curia, Vatican City State and the Diocese of Rome in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican May 24, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Describing the Curia as the institution that preserves “the historical memory of the church,” Pope Leo called on these Vatican employees to “work together” with him “in the great cause of unity and love.”
Gerard O’ConnellMay 24, 2025
Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist who helped expose the abuse committed by leaders of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, gives Pope Leo XIV a stole made of alpaca wool, during the pope's meeting with members of the media May 12, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Leo offered a heartening message for a global media that has endured a pretty awful year.
Kevin ClarkeMay 23, 2025
If you think our enthusiasm for our basketball team was intense, just wait until you see our support for Pope Leo XIV.
Jack DoolinMay 23, 2025
“I don’t think he’s the kind of man who sends coded messages,” Cardinal Michael Czerny says in this exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell.
Gerard O’ConnellMay 23, 2025