Charities ready to help those affected by flooding

By Maria LeDoux | Associate Editor, The Catholic Free Press
     
LEOMINSTER - Storms moved across the city of Leominster and surrounding towns on the evening of Sep. 11. According to the National Weather Service, 9.5 inches of rain fell in some areas creating flooding in homes and buildings, sinkholes, blocked streets, and power outages. Roads and schools were shut down and families were displaced due to the flooding. The following day, a state of emergency was declared for both the city and state.
St. Anna Elementary School, St. Leo Elementary School, and St. Cecilia Parish experienced flooding. The schools closed for several days last week to assess the damage.  
In addition to state and federal resources being deployed, Catholic Charities Worcester County is directing people to Catholic Charities in Leominster, 196 Mechanic St., and Ginny’s Helping Hand Inc., 52 Mechanic St. Both are accepting and donating materials such as bedding, towels, clothing for all ages, baby formula, diapers, and food. 
“I think people are still in shock,” Maritza Cedeño, director of emergency services at Catholic Charities, said Monday. “There is so much damage in the houses. Right now, we are just letting the families know we are there.” 
Ms. Cedeño says that Catholic Charities is receiving a lot of calls for clothing and bedding. However, she foresees more financial assistance being needed later. 
“Most families don’t have flood insurance. … Some people are not working right now. … There is a condemned house with a sinkhole right in front of it,” she said. So, financial assistance for electric bills, mortgages or even grocery store gift cards are services Catholic Charities plan to provide as the needs arise. 
“The city is doing an amazing job. It takes a village,” she said.
At St. Anna Elementary School, principal Tricia Brzenk said that an employee was still present as their extended day program was ending Monday evening and she noticed the water pouring down the staircase into the cafeteria. The secretary, pastor, and custodians were notified, and they got there “to assess the damage immediately.” 
As water moved down the stairs, it went into the cafeteria, staff room, art supply closet, library, music office space, extended day play corner, and the kitchen. Many people helped move things, lift boxes, and make room for fans and dehumidifiers. In addition, the pre-kindergarten building, separate from the main school building, experienced flooding in the basement. Many materials were lost including books, workbooks, and teacher’s supplies. 
The school had to determine where the water was coming from in the back of the school and quickly moved dirt and rocks to build a drainage area. 
School was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, opening after a two-hour delay on Thursday. The time was used to remove the water, sanitize the building, and build ways to deter future flooding. 
Mrs. Brzenk was grateful for the school staff saying, “The custodial staff is quite amazing and in how quickly they responded to it, I very much appreciate it.”
At St. Leo Elementary School, principal Nancy Pierce said, “We were overwhelmed by water. … It made a huge mess.”
She noted that flooding happens occasionally because the surrounding houses are on a hill and the runoff will often end up in the cafeteria. This time, within 30 minutes of the rain starting, the cafeteria began flooding, according to Mrs. Pierce, and 30 minutes later it was at the stairs. The boiler room was filled with four to five feet of water. 
“Water could not be drained fast enough. The roof drains were overwhelmed, and water started flowing in the early childhood entry way via sprinkler heads, light fixtures, and smoke alarms. … The alarms went off for a couple hours that night, so the custodian turned off the power,” said Mrs. Pierce. 
The school was closed Tuesday through Friday last week. On Monday, they reopened but all food in the kitchen was lost. A parent generously purchased pizza, salad, and water for the entire school, and the students helped to set up a cafeteria in the gym, said Mrs. Pierce.
“We have such an amazing community … I feel very blessed. There was such an outpouring of concern and offers to help clean” among other things, said Mrs. Pierce.
Part of the ceiling still must be repaired, the elevator shaft must be drained, and the school is waiting for new boilers. The boiler room in the school also contains the boiler for the church, which must be replaced as well.
According to Mrs. Pierce, one family, with two children at St. Leo’s had a sinkhole around their house. Another family from the school took them in as they look for temporary housing, and the community is sending gift cards, supplies, and uniforms. 
At St. Cecilia’s Church, flooding occurred in the hallway and bathroom near the sacristy. The flat roof over the sacristy was leaking causing water to pour out the ceiling, down the walls, and onto the floor. The church had pre-existing maintenance scheduled, as flooding has occurred previously, according to Nathan Schroeder, director of facilities for the diocese.
“Thanks to our great staff and the fortuitous location of the leak, very little damage was done,” said Msgr. James S. Moroney, pastor of St. Cecilia’s, in a video message. He continued, “Contractors examined the roof and concluded that an old skylight, located immediately above the bathroom, was the cause of the 15-minute flood.” Additionally, there was water in the basement of the rectory.
“They all did a great job of reacting quickly,” Mr. Schroeder said.