April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
FLOODING IN DIOCESE
Irene and Lee cleanup, a year later: 'Life will never be the same'
The August 2011 storms turned almost a dozen counties in the Diocese into federal disaster areas, compelling parishes, Catholic Charities agencies and communities to provide aid. Some parishes deployed volunteers to muck out houses and rebuild; others set up feeding centers and shelters.
Diocesan Catholic Charities raised more than $350,000 and has used most of that to help more than 1,000 people with cleanup, financial assistance, counseling and other aid.
As parishes and communities marked the anniversary last week with prayer services and other commemorations, they reflected on resiliency, progress, lessons and ongoing needs - and urged the Albany Diocese and beyond not to forget about them.
COLUMBIA/GREENE COUNTIES
"I think [unaffected] people feel that it's been a year and it's over," said Vanessa Vogel, program director for emergency response at Catholic Charities of Columbia and Greene Counties. But the communities she serves are "still a far cry from being recovered."
Mrs. Vogel's agency has spent more than $41,000 helping about 75 households with needs not met by Federal Emergency Management Agency grants or other sources. In the beginning, Catholic Charities helped people buy clothing and household items; now, 80 percent of funds cover building materials like insulation and flooring.
Mrs. Vogel still hears from dozens of people some days; a third of requests are from homeowners who still haven't returned to their homes. Greene County was the hardest-hit, she said, calling attention to communities like Windham, Maplecrest, Prattsville and Lexington.
The latter two were "virtually wiped off the map. It looks still pretty devastated."
She "couldn't even guess" how long recovery will last. "There was nothing that stands out in my memory that was such a disaster as this. It's really consumed our agency."
Mrs. Vogel needs volunteers to help with paperwork, food pantry aid and attending long-term recovery meetings. (Call 828-8660, ext. 123.)
Things are looking up in Windham, which the pastor of St. Theresa's parish described as a "war zone" last year.
After addressing its own damage, the parish had served as an aid station and food distribution center for a month; it operated a food pantry until June. St. Theresa's women's guild still holds monthly bake sales, which have raised $3,500 for unmet needs like one homeowner's new driveway and another's mortgage payment. Fundraisers will continue for at least another year.
Pastoral associate Siobhain Lavery said residents who have never had to ask for help before now understand the role the parish has always played in helping the community. The parish made an emergency kit and is researching generators to ensure access to well water for the next disaster.
A mild winter was good for rebuilding, but bad for Windham's ski-centered economy. But the summer attracted tourists for a cycling competition, the Warrior Dash and a "MudFest" in Prattsville. Sidewalks still show damage, but downed street lights are being replaced one by one.
"There's still a lot of trauma underneath it all, but people are getting through it," Mrs. Lavery said. "They're more patient with each other and with themselves, and they're more thankful - and I hope it stays with them for a long time."
DELAWARE COUNTY
Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville has seen piecemeal progress since many of its properties were torn apart last year. Rev. Paul Catena, pastor, moved back into the rectory this summer after 11 months of living above a parishioner's storefront.
He said reconstruction, which gave parish life "constant disruption and constant disorganization" for a year, is nearly done. It's time to refurnish, redecorate and unpack items that didn't float away; a parishioner recently found an old presider's chair in a creek near the church.
The parish's insurance covered $1 million worth of rebuilding: a new sanctuary for the church with tile and flood-safe wood and similar flooring in the parish hall and rectory.
"It's way better than what we had," Father Catena said. "The flood was just like baptism - an opportunity to cleanse these buildings and make them new."
The church, which is Father Catena's first pastorate, was one of the hardest-hit properties in the county. The young priest remembers being warned about administrative duties and broken appliances in the seminary - "but certainly not a flood that would require literally all my time and energy for an entire year.
"I'm not a construction manager, but that's how I've felt. Right now, I feel a thousand times better because I have at least a little time to breathe. There's a sense of relief."
Even with help from diocesan offices, though, Father Catena feels he hasn't had enough time to minister or focus on the parish's spiritual health.
"That bothers me more than anything," he noted. "I'm a priest and I'm used to helping other people."
About 100 people gathered at Sacred Heart Aug. 28 for an interfaith "service of hope."
SCHENECTADY COUNTY
In Schenectady County, relief workers are inspired by victims' resiliency.
"I am just overwhelmed by the good will that the people who were impacted have for their neighbors," said Carol Fallon, a state disaster case manager through Catholic Charities of Schenectady County.
The agency has distributed food gift cards and money for appliances and building materials in places like Rotterdam Junction, Scotia and Schenectady. "People can be without the basics and can be concerned about, 'Have you contacted my neighbor?'" said Ms. Fallon.
Nathan Mandsager, coordinator of the Schenectady Recovery Coalition, affirmed that. He operates the organization out of St. Margaret of Cortona Church in Rotterdam Junction, a mission of St. Joseph's Church in Schenectady.
"There's definitely a stronger community," said Mr. Mandsager. "There's a real life and vitality and hope. Any kind of destruction like this can tear a community apart or make it stronger."
Flooding in St. Margaret's church and parish hall basements forced a few months of renovations. Parishioners held fundraisers immediately after the disaster; the parish recently took over a volunteer feeding center previously operated by a fire department.
Mr. Mandsager, previously a pastor at Calvary Tabernacle Church in Schenectady for a decade, said he feels "like an adopted child" at St. Margaret's, which "has kind of been the epicenter for us in terms of community connection."
The coalition has helped about 200 families. Throughout the county, 20 residences still need to be repaired, and up to 40 abandoned houses must be addressed.
Mr. Mandsager learned how tragic loss can be: About 70 percent of his clients are elderly and had a lifetime of memories washed away by the floods.
"It doesn't get fixed just by moving home," he said. "This is a process that for many people will be a lifetime journey. Six months, 12 months is just the beginning. Life will never be the same."[[In-content Ad]]
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