Deacon Arnold represents diocese at meeting

Deacon Mark Arnold, the disaster relief coordinator for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, gave testimony at a June 6 Committee on County Affairs addressing issues pertaining to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The diocese, along with agencies in the Coastal Bend, were invited to meet with Texas House of Representatives and county officials at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
 
Representing Texas bishops and the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Deacon Arnold first gave testimony on contributions Catholics have made to the 12 counties it ministers. “After Harvey hit, we set up assistance teams through Catholic Charities, the Knights of Columbus and parish volunteers to coordinate the distribution of water, food and various supplies, as well as assist with muck out and cleanup,” he said. “To date, the diocese has provided over $3 million in direct aid and goods.”
 

State Representative Kyle Biedermann, Vice Chair Drew Springer, Committee Director Kelsey Bernstein listen as Deacon Mark Arnold gives testimony on June 6.

He recommended that when city officials send service distribution lists to the media they include churches as well. “We will give that information to the people we serve, which will increase their ability to efficiently find services and will decrease duplication efforts.” In addition, he asked that distribution locations be predefined and prescreened, so the diocese can fill geographic gaps before the next disaster.
 
He explained to the committee that the diocese sustained nearly $35 million in damages to parish halls, Catholic schools, convents all of which serve the community with food banks, after-school child care and aid distribution on a regular basis.

He said the diocese applied to FEMA’s Request for Public Assistance to aid in the rebuilding and repair cost. "In addition, we have tried to establish temporary aid facilities on our properties in order to continue to provide critical services to the community, but working with FEMA and the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) has been difficult,” Deacon Arnold said listing the reasons:
 

1. Government agencies had a difficult time understanding that diocese are a corporate sole with the bishop owning all property;
2. A voluminous amount of information is needed to receive assistance and when we asked questions, government staff gave us different answers; and
3. Agency site visits were not coordinated, causing inefficient rescheduling.

 
“After two months of attempts to clarify our corporate structure with FEMA, our request for public assistance was approved. However, many properties are still not categorized as ‘critical facilities’ by TDEM and therefore temporary aid facilities are not operating. Several of our applications with TDEM is still pending and there is no timeline for a decision,” he said.
 
“As a result, some of our charitable programs which served communities that were hardest hit by Harvey are no longer operating. For example, our food bank located at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Aransas Pass has not been approved as a critical facility. It is located in one of the hardest hit and financially strapped areas and needy Texans have been coming to this church for years when they need assistance. Services provided by St. Mary and similar locations are a ‘must have’ to keep Texans from relocating and we have not received any public assistance to date for aid that is critical to the entire community.’
 
“On the other hand, three of our parishes have been approved as critical by TDEM, but the paperwork to bring the temporary facilities online is ongoing,” he said.  He made three recommendations to improve efficiency:
 

1. Define critical facilities eligible for temporary aid facilities prior to a natural disaster;
2. Coordinate agency site inspections, so that required staff can visit sites together;
3. Standardize requirements and forms to minimize reliance on individual staff opinions.

 
Deacon Arnold thanked committee members and said he looked forward to partnering with local, state and federal agencies to assist Texans who are affected by future natural disasters.