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(Editor's note: Last week's issue covered flooding in Montgomery County. Read that story at http://www.evangelist.org/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=28&ArticleID=24122.)

As flash floods swept through the Mohawk Valley on the evening of June 28, a neighbor called Rev. Mark Cunningham at the St. Francis de Sales parish rectory in Herkimer to suggest he move his car.

It was a good thing the pastor listened - the water was already up to the axles - but the vehicle would become the least of his worries over the next several weeks. The initial flood and further flooding July 1 dumped about 26 inches of water across all the basement-level church property, with 10 feet of water in the rectory's lower level. It also devastated residential property in the village and surrounding towns.

On the other side of the Mohawk River, Blessed Sacrament parish in Mohawk sustained no damage, but parishioners are dealing with property damage and loss of water heaters, heating and cooling systems and washing machines. Villagers continue to ration electricity; there's a boil water alert until the village's filtration system is fixed.

Slow recovery
"It's getting better, but we're still in recovery mode," said Sister Mary Jo Tallman, CSJ, parish life director at Blessed Sacrament. She noted that the recent disaster echoes a major 2006 storm that also wrecked property. "The 100-year flood - there's no 100 years in between them anymore."

Sister Mary Jo said donations are the best way to help her community, which has received more than $2,000 from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The parish raised $1,000 in a special collection.

At least 35 families in the Mohawk flood plain have significant damage, she said. "People are just doing little kinds of things to help each other," like cooking and letting neighbors use their washing machines, she added.

Sister Mary Jo also coordinates the faith formation program that covers Blessed Sacrament and St. Francis de Sales parishes. The latter church stores the religious education supplies, which were drenched with two feet of water in the floods.

St. Francis de Sales also lost furniture, documents, appliances and two pianos in parish offices and the parish hall. St. Francis de Sales School sustained damage to its gym and library; books floated away and computers were ruined.

Help at hand
That parish leaders have offered books from closed diocesan schools has "turned out to be a silver lining," Father Cunningham said. His spirit has been buoyed by the generosity of neighbors and help from first responders, the Salvation Army and Southern Baptist volunteers.

The parish raised more than $4,000 in an extra collection, and a telethon sponsored by a parishioner's car dealership and a Utica television station raised $187,000 in one night. These funds, coupled with state aid, could start to offset cleanup costs incurred by an estimated 300 village residents.

But unlike the parish, many area residents don't have flood insurance, Father Cunningham noted.

"It's very hard, the look on people's faces," Father Cunningham said. "Your heart goes out to them. This is tough on people's morale. Your life is turned upside down. We're sort of living the new normal. Nothing will ever be like a month ago."

Second blow
Herkimer residents are still reeling from a March tragedy that left four people dead. Sixty-four-year-old Kurt Myers of Mohawk set a fire, went on a shooting spree in the village and then barricaded himself in a building where he was eventually killed after a standoff with police.

The gunman had been near St. Francis School and parish. "We were in lockdown," Father Cunningham recalled. "I had armed snipers here in the building and I could hear gunshots."

The pastor said the most important need in the community right now is prayers.

"People need kind words," he said. "These people are survivors. We'll come through, but this has been tough. They've had their plate full pretty good here over the past couple of months."

Still, "they've lived out here since the 1720s, and we're going to stay," he said.

Mass has continued at St. Francis parish. Parishioners can pick up surgical masks at the church's entrance to protect themselves from mud on the church grounds that might contain sewage. Father Cunningham celebrated the first few liturgies after the floods by candlelight, with no air conditioning or music.

"I thought it was very important that people should come to their church and pray," he said, adding that he's also celebrated weddings and funerals as planned. "We need to set an example as Jesus would."

Meanwhile, as Father Cunningham knocks on doors and surveys damage, parishioners are returning the favor by cooking for him - but he refused to eat a dessert someone inadvertently called "mud pie." He's been using that story to make people laugh.[[In-content Ad]]

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