Western Maryland parishes hit by devastating floodwaters

Two days after torrential rain caused flooding in the Georges Creek Valley in Western Maryland, Father Scott Kady, pastor of Divine Mercy Parish felt blessed.

While two of his churches, St. Peter in Westernport and St. Gabriel in Barton, had their basements filled with floodwaters, no one was hurt locally during the May 13 downpour that caught many people by surprise.

“A cleaning lady at St. Peter said she looked out the window and told the other, ‘We have to go now. Let’s get out of here,’” Father Kady said. “They were able to get home safely.”

He then got a call from a local parishioner who said there were about 10 people stranded in the parking lot at St. Peter. With the help of a fireman, the parishioner was able to use a fireman’s emergency key to open the church and provide shelter during the brunt of the storm.

“We had food in the church because we had been collecting it for local schools,” Father Kady said, adding with a chuckle, “They were able to have some graham crackers.”

By the evening of May 14, Father Kady was alerted by the Barton Fire Department that all water had been pumped out of St. Gabriel’s basement. The water heater and boiler had both been submerged underwater as was the building’s kitchen and electrical box, which had to be shut off.

At St. Peter, floodwaters smashed through the basement windows in both the rectory and church. Both buildings saw their water heaters and boilers submerged. Floodwater rose to the joists of the next floor in the rectory, stopping just short of flooding the newly renovated kitchen.

“We were really, really lucky,” said Alison Lyons, Divine Mercy’s office manager. “That kitchen is not even a year old.”

All three basements are filled with mud and silt, as are the roads and lawns in the surrounding areas, Father Kady said.

“They brought in snowplows to get out the mud and silt,” Father Kady said, of the roads. “There is still a little bit of water on Route 36 connecting Frostburg to Westernport.”

St. Peter’s Westernport campus, while damaged, has served as a major staging ground for first responders and restoration crews. After visiting the area May 15, Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency to help with the cleanup and rebuild.

Father Kady believes insurance will cover some, but not all of the damage. Our Lady of the Mountains in Cumberland and St. Peter the Apostle in Oakland were each holding a special collection for them.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore also made a special archdiocesan-wide appeal for donations to support Divine Mercy as it recovers from the flooding.

“Your generous support will allow Divine Mercy Parish to continue to be a beacon of hope and to respond to families in the community seeking assistance as they recover from this disaster,” the archdiocesan message said.

“We are waiting to see if anything can be salvaged,” Lyons said. “There is still a lot of clean-up.”

While parishioners have been helping clean the churches, Father Kady noted everyone is offering a helping hand.

“I’m just amazed how both communities have come out to help their neighbors,” Father Kady said. “Neighbors are pumping out basements, throwing stuff away and cutting wood that got piled up. It is amazing and heartwarming to watch.”

As water is shut off to both churches, Mass will not be celebrated May 17 or 18 at St. Peter. Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph and St. MIchael

“There is more rain in the forecast,” Father Kady said. “Right now, it is a sunny day.”

To make a donation to the Divine Mercy relief fund, click here. 

Email Katie V. Jones at KJones@CatholicReview.org

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