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As the first snow hit the Albany Diocese, volunteers scrambled to repair homes still damaged by flooding from the summer's Tropical Storms Irene and Lee.

Of the salvageable houses, many still need furnaces, water heaters and insulation before winter, but the outlook is growing brighter in many communities.

Once an aid station and supply distribution center, St. Theresa's parish in Windham is down to offering a small food pantry and storage space. Blankets, furniture and kitchenware continue to arrive from donors as far away as New Jersey and New York City.

"We're a tourist parish, so when they're coming up for the weekend, they call me and say, 'What can we bring?," explained Siobhain Lavery, pastoral associate.

Three feet of water was cleared from the rectory basement. Area residents have begun moving back into their homes or into apartments with aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Windham Mountain, one of the area's main employers, has opened for business. Parish food pantry usage is down from more than 100 families a week to about 20, since people receive assistance elsewhere.

Columbia/Greene
"Slowly but surely, they are seeing progress," Mrs. Lavery said.

St. Theresa's has raised $25,000 to help almost 30 families buy wallboard. A single mother received funds for repairs and gas cards to travel to Albany for her 15-year-old son's medical treatment.

Elsewhere in Greene and Columbia Counties, the reality is setting in that "this is going to be a long-term recovery process," said Theresa Lux, executive director of Catholic Charities in those counties.

"There's a period of complete shock in the beginning. Everyone had dreams and plans for the future, and if you're affected by the storm, you have to readjust. The psychological piece is going to take the longest to recover."

In addition to doling out $3,000 in gift cards to a Prattsville grocery store, Catholic Charities plans to launch a program called Pen Pals for Recovery to connect volunteers with residents through letters and phone calls.

"I just don't want people to be forgotten," Mrs. Lux said.

Catholic Charities will also refer clients to other social service programs and emergency assistance funds before winter hits. There are no homeless shelters in that area, so many families stay with hosts. One lived in a storage unit for a while; others have covered their damaged homes with tarps.

Delaware/Otsego
To the west, Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties has closed its collection site, finished distributing gift cards to Kmart and begun hosting case managers from Catholic Charities USA. Many residents have returned to their homes, but are falling behind on bills. Debris is still piled up.

"You can imagine the health hazard that would be," noted Lynn Glueckert, interim executive director of the agency. Students from SUNY-Oneonta and other volunteers continue to muck out homes.

Amphenol Aerospace in Sidney, one of that area's largest employers, was flooded for the second time since 2006. The company will move out of the area.

"That could have a significant impact on the community," Mrs. Glueckert said.

Rev. Paul Catena, pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville, has stayed in an apartment above a parishioner's store since the storms. The lower level of the rectory was flooded and torn apart, leaving him without a kitchen, but he is able to use the second floor as an office.

Cleanup on the church and parish hall is finished and the church is being used for Masses again. Young faith formation students are studying at home; older ones meet in the church or rectory. But Father Catena is uncertain what flood insurance will cover.

"Now we've got to start rebuilding, and that's a rather complicated process," Father Catena said.

On your MARK
Katie Lehn, a parishioner of Sacred Heart, was hired in September as flood relief coordinator of MARK, a rural development program in the area. She's handling hundreds of requests for help with cleaning homes and replacing wiring, wallboard and floors.

"There's a lot left to be done and a lot of people we haven't reached," Ms. Lehn said. "We don't have enough volunteers to get to everybody by winter. That's my biggest fear."

Ms. Lehn, a resident of Margaretville for 20 years, says it will take years for the area even to return to "the new normal."

That sentiment is echoed in Schoharie County. Middleburgh lost 3,000 library books, six restaurants, two churches, stores, doctor's offices and hair salons.

A Stewart's shop and Our Lady of the Valley parish were the only buildings to survive on Main Street, according to parishioners.

"For the first couple of weeks, there was no place to get food," said parishioner Stephen Coonradt. "Our community was very much devastated."

Farmers lost equipment, crops, dairy herds, buildings and money to invest in next year's crops. Homes and businesses were destroyed. People still live in tents and cars.

Forever changed
"It's something that happens to other people that you watch on television," said parishioner Jackie Guntert. "My life is forever changed because of the people I do know whose houses have been destroyed."

The two were among volunteers who spent eight weeks working the parish's post-storm meal program. Started by parishioner Pat Costello, the program served lunch and dinner to almost 30,000 residents and volunteers using donated food and supplies.

The experience bonded Middleburgh parishioners and those who came from St. Joseph's Church in Schoharie, which closed in the 2009 merger that formed Our Lady of the Valley parish.

"A lot of friendships have taken off," said Rev. Thomas Holmes, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley. "A lot of good's come out of it in terms of uniting the parish."

The meals program ended last week to clear space for the parish's confirmation program. A nearby Methodist church will sponsor a few dinners each week; Our Lady of the Valley will offer one a week.

Father Holmes foresees an increase in the need for Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas "giving tree" presents this year.

"A lot of the people in need have never been in need before," he said.

Our Lady of the Valley's church and parish hall roofs were damaged; the rectory basement took seven weeks to dry out. The parish received about $70,000 in donations, which it used to purchase furnaces and water tanks for 21 families.

For five weeks, Father Holmes has shared the rectory with his mechanic, who lost his home and his business.

Rotterdam Junction
St. Margaret of Cortona Church in Rotterdam Junction, a mission of St. Joseph's parish in Schenectady, has installed a new furnace and water tank and rebuilt an indoor bocce ball court for seniors.

Religious education classes continue in the parish hall as classrooms are repaired. Church facilities are used as feeding centers.

"I think it's been positive, but it's still distressing," said Ann Smart, administrative assistant. St. Margaret's and St. Joseph's raised more than $7,000 for the Rotterdam Fire Department's relief fund.

Hundreds of parishioners from St. Clare's parish in Colonie have volunteered for the Route 5S Project started by Deacon Gary Riggi. A construction worker, he launched and oversees the rebuilding of 30 homes on Main Street in Rotterdam Junction.

"This is where my ministry and career come together," Deacon Riggi said. "It's been seven or eight weeks and people are still going without basic necessities. I've made a commitment to help them and not leave them high and dry until they're hanging the curtains in their home."

After speaking and preaching at St. Clare's Masses, Deacon Riggi was inundated with offers of help. The project has raised about $30,000; half has been spent on heaters, furnaces and electrical boxes.

Victims receive an average of $20,000 in federal aid, Deacon Riggi noted, but it often takes between $80,000 and $100,000 to rebuild a home. The majority of the homes are not ready for winter yet.

"If it drops below freezing for two or three nights, the next thing that's going to happen is the pipes are going to burst," the deacon said. "We need the furnaces three weeks ago."

The project has "brought a lot of excitement and life to our own community," he said of St. Clare's. "They want to adopt a family for Christmas.

"If it wasn't for my love of Jesus and wanting to bring that love to the brokenness that these people were feeling after the flood hit, this never would have happened," he added. "God gives us every tool you could ever imagine, if it's the right purpose."[[In-content Ad]]

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