4
Gulf Pine Catholic
•
September 9, 2016
clouds that blanketed the area for nearly a
week.
“It could have been worse, when you see
four churches out of 71 severely damaged,”
Ingraham said. “The worst thing is the dam-
age to our parishioners and their homes.”
He said St. Alphonsus and Immaculate
Conception were the most severely dam-
aged, each with likely at least $1 million in
damage. Those two churches along with St.
Anne and Holy Rosary each had flood
insurance for up to $500,000 per building,
Ingraham said.
Although St. Anthony and St. Jean
Vianney did not have flood insurance
because they were in areas that previously
had never experienced any type of flooding,
they are covered under a policy through the
diocese.
The storm, which first began to unleash
its nearly weeklong fury Aug. 12, packed a
one-two wallop that drove water into areas
that had never experienced flooding.
Initially, torrential rains from the slow-
moving system initially caused street flood-
ing, which also forced water into homes.
But the greater damage came in the days
that followed as area rivers overflowed their
banks and flowed unfettered into neighbor-
hoods, businesses and even major thor-
oughfares.
At one point, Interstates 10 and 12, the
two main arteries in and out of Baton
Rouge, were closed. Along I-12, some
motorists were trapped in their cars for
more than 30 hours, presenting a unique
opportunity for ministry for Father Jamin
David, pastor at St. Margaret of Scotland
Church in Albany.
After surveying the 20 acres encompass-
ing the parish grounds, Father David’s
focus shifted to the stranded motorists, who
were without food, water or even a bath-
room.
“We opened up our facilities to every-
one,” Father David said. “It became a
humanitarian effort. Really, it was the multiplication of
the fishes.”
He said one stranded motorist was a caterer initially
headed to Abita Springs, less than 40 miles from
Albany. The caterer asked if she could use the parish’s
stove to cook the food she had with her so it would not
go to waste.
BY RICHARD MEEK
Catholic News Service
BATON ROUGE, La. (CNS) -- Water
lapped at the heels of Father Michael Galea,
steady rain an arduous reminder of Mother
Nature’s unfinished business.
With a sadness in his voice, Father Galea,
pastor at Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant,
estimated that as many as 90 percent of his
parishioners were impacted during the recent
historic flooding that touched nearly every
corner of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
“It’s going to change the whole dynamic of
Holy Rosary as a parish as we know it,”
Father Galea told
The Catholic Commentator
,
the diocesan newspaper. “It’s not going to be
the same. And we are going to lose quite a bit
of people if they choose to move away.
“But hopefully with love and compassion
and a lot of hugs we can become a family all
over again. That is what is most important is
for us to be together again.”
Coming together as a family, whether it is
a community, church parish or simply a family
dinner, is a question many are asking in the
wake of the floods that in some area dumped
20 inches of rain in as many hours. The car-
nage is stunning.
In Central, it is estimated 27,000 out of
28,000 people were impacted, leaving some to
speculate if the suburban community will be
able to recover.
In Livingston Parish, a civil jurisdiction, at
least 75 percent of residents suffered some
type of water damage, with most of the
destruction major. Residents in the civil juris-
dictions of East Baton Rouge, Ascension and
Tangipahoa parishes also were forced to dig
out.
Much of Zachary was damaged, as the
wide swath of destruction seems endless. In
the aftermath many residential streets appeared
to be mere passes surrounded by mountains of
debris. And the stench permeates one’s pores,
a smell that eventually subsides but never
leaves.
Schools were closed, many for weeks, and busi-
nesses were struggling to reopen. Curfews were enact-
ed in civil parishes throughout to lessen the threat of
looting in the impacted areas.
Some estimates are as high as 100,000 homes dam-
aged, with thousands fleeing to evacuation shelters.
The floodwaters claimed 13 lives, and many others
survived only after being rescued from their rooftops,
reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina 11 years ago.
“We were straight up survival mode,” said Tim
Hasenkampf, a Baton Rouge fireman who lives in Port
Historic flooding in Louisiana has changed region
forever, many say
Residents pile debris outside their flood-damaged homes in St. Amant,
La., Aug. 21. Historic flooding in southern Louisiana killed at least 13
people and damaged an estimated 60,000 homes, said state officials. At
least 102,000 people have registered for federal recovery assistance.
CNS
photo/Jonathan Bachman, Reuters
A statue of Mary is seen partially submerged in flood water in Sorrento,
La., Aug. 20.
CNS photo/Jonathan Bachman, Reuters
Vincent and lost his house because of flooding.
“It’s been tough,” added Hasenkampf, who along
with his friend spent hours in their private boats rescu-
ing people from their homes in the area.
According to Joe Ingraham, chief financial officer
for the Baton Rouge Diocese, six churches took on
water and two of the parish schools also were damaged.
Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School,
which opened in August, was inundated with 4 feet of
water and has to relocate.
Although the damage was widespread and costly,
Ingraham managed to see the silver lining in the storm
SEE LOUISIANA FLOODS
RECOVERY, PAGE 6
