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Community members are rallying in the wake of the June floods that displaced more than 1,000 residents of the Mohawk Valley.

The hardest-hit area, the village of Fort Plain in Montgomery County, has seen an outpouring of support from community volunteers all over the country. Our Lady of Hope parish in Fort Plain has received thousands of dollars in donations from parishes and groups throughout the Albany Diocese. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard allowed the parish to keep the $3,000 it raised for a national collection meant to help victims of the Oklahoma tornado and other domestic natural disasters.

Meanwhile, parishioners are helping with cleanups, making meals and collecting supplies and toiletries for their neighbors.

"I just encourage people to get involved and meet people," said Rev. Dennis Murphy, pastor of Our Lady of Hope. He's been knocking on doors, digging mud out of basements and attending meetings for the Fulton-Montgomery Long Term Recovery group, where he's been inspired by presentations from other churches, the United Way, the American Red Cross and volunteers from Schoharie County who have dealt with storm damage.

Hope and heartache
"When I walk around and talk to people, they seem to be pretty up and hopeful," Father Murphy said. "In the midst of a crisis, people have really come out."

Still, some residents have abandoned their "totally destroyed" homes.

"What will that do to the morale and the appearance [of the village]?" Father Murphy pondered. Some homes are salvageable, he added, "but will they get the necessary funds to do it? A lot of people here are low-income to begin with. People are trying to recover and assess, 'Where do we go from here?'"

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied homeowners individual assistance, but state government recently stepped in with $16 million in aid.

Catholic Charities' help
Catholic Charities of Fulton and Montgomery Counties has been filling gaps with its emergency assistance fund and working with the long-term recovery group to meet needs. A food pantry in Amsterdam has also been donating goods to a Fort Plain food pantry.

John Nasso, executive director of the Catholic Charities agency, reported at least four houses destroyed in the village and about 50 with major damage.

"A lot of people are not going to be able to come back," Mr. Nasso said. Though the village will eventually bounce back, the aftermath "[is] going to change the dynamic of the village. It changes neighborhoods; it always does."

Father Murphy said Our Lady of Hope parish has the insurance to cover $23,000 in repairs to its flooded church basement, the only damage the parish suffered. Since the property is on high ground, its parking lot was used to stage emergency vehicles for the first week after the disaster.

Many parishioners are on the "borderline" of the decision about whether to keep their houses, Father Murphy said.

What's lost
"Almost everyone here lost whatever was in the basement," he added. That usually includes washing machines and dryers, water heaters and cooling and heating systems. Some parishioners also lost their vehicles; some are dealing with damage to businesses. Money collected by the parish will help with these sorts of needs.

"We're praying and we're trying to be good neighbors and we're willing to help," Father Murphy said. "It's an economic blow to this community, [where there] just isn't much to begin with. It's a town of bygone days."

Linda Faduski retired as pastoral associate at Our Lady of Hope the weekend of the floods. Though her house was unaffected, she said "it's on everybody's mind most of the time. We don't even have people back to church yet because [a sign] says, 'Road closed.'"

Also on everybody's minds is parishioner Ethel Healey, the 87-year-old Fort Plain resident killed in the flood. Her funeral, which Father Murphy found "very consoling," was concelebrated by him, several other priests and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard.

Mrs. Faduski said Mrs. Healey's daughter has been back at church.

"People have been there" for her, said the former pastoral associate. But Mrs. Healey's absence is still felt: "[It's] a small church and people seem to sit in the same places. When there's nobody sitting there anymore, you notice."[[In-content Ad]]

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