SASKATOON -- The spring break-up on the Mackenzie and Liard rivers has caused historic and devastating levels of flooding in the Northwest Territories, including several communities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith.

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. bishops' domestic policy committee late March 19 expressed grief over the lives and livelihoods lost and threatened by the historic flooding in the Midwest and offered prayers for recovery.

NEW DELHI – A cyclone killed more than 40 people and displaced hundreds of others in southern India, severely damaging farmland and buildings, including the region's most revered Marian shrine.

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Catholic aid agencies were among those working to assess the needs and get relief to the island of Sulawesi after an earthquake and tsunami left more than 1,400 people dead.

On June 30, 1912, a tornado dubbed the Regina Cyclone swept through the city and became the deadliest in Canadian history, killing 28 people. Much of the city was damaged or destroyed, prompting a front-page plea to The Register’s readers in the July 11, 1912 edition from a priest who experienced the storm first-hand:

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VATICAN – Pope Francis sent condolences to Guatemala after a horrific volcanic eruption left more than 60 people dead.

VATICAN – After a massive earthquake and a string of aftershocks in Taiwan killed at least seven and injured hundreds more, Pope Francis Wednesday sent a telegram assuring of his prayer for the victims and those engaged in rescue efforts.

MOCOA, Colombia – The bishop of the Colombian city scourged by landslides on Saturday has described a “complex and chaotic situation”, and appealed for humanitarian aid for the city's inhabitants.

JEREMIE, Haiti – I shut my eyes as he swung the large rock at the car window. An instant before, something about his eyes had seemed off. They were glazed over. Maybe he was drunk, or thirsty, or just furious.

Pope Francis led prayers for the victims of Italy’s earthquake and announced plans to visit survivors in the affected area soon.

JAMA, Ecuador – Ask Jose Santos about the earthquake that struck the northern coast of Ecuador in April and he paints a vivid picture.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Water lapped at the heels of Father Michael Galea, steady rain an arduous reminder of Mother Nature's unfinished business.

VATICAN CITY – After a strong earthquake struck central Italy and with the early news reporting many deaths and serious damage, Pope Francis turned his weekly general audience Aug. 24 into a prayer service.

BATON ROUGE, La. – The line of destruction caused by historic flooding in southern Louisiana stretches for 25 miles, and according to Red Cross officials, it is the worst natural disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

WASHINGTON – To help before tragedy occurs, a Washington-based priest and psychologist is conducting a free webinar at the end of August to prepare priests, religious and other Church members to deal with the trauma that follows a natural disaster, an act of terrorism or any other large-scale tragedy that they and the communities they serve might face.