Bay Update #2 (September 6, 2005)

 
How much is too much?  And how much is not enough???
 
I don’t want to overwhelm you with too many details about the Hurricane.  I’m sure you’re getting that from the media.  But there has been such an outpouring of support from our alumni and friends…it’s hard to describe.  I have already received cash donations into the Alumni Office for the SVDs at the Bay, I have several offers from people to travel to the Bay and help with clean-up or take in victims.  There has been an abundance of e-mails and calls just from folks concerned about St. Augustine’s and the SVDs in the Bay.
 
On Sunday, a group of about 15 men left Techny and Chicago to travel to the Bay.  They were in route with a couple new vehicles and many supplies, including wet/dry vacs, charcoal (for outdoor cooking), water, medical supplies, gas, etc.  This group includes our novices and some of the guys studying theology on Chicago’s Southside.  I’m not sure how long the group will be there or what their needs are, but please keep them in your prayers.
 
Below are some new communications from SVDs.  Read what you’d like.  Many have been affected tremendously by this storm.  Many SVDs and alumni have families in the area affected.  One professor here at Divine Word College has family there.  The house he grew up in was destroyed, his sister’s home has been destroyed and she and her husband are living with him in Dubuque for the time being.  Katrina has taken its toll on many people we know personally.
 
 
From Fr. Joe Simon, SVD, Provincial Southern Province   (Saturday)
 
Confreres, Monday morning, as I sat in my house, listening to the winds and rains, the lights went out. I turned on a battery-powered radio. I noticed that there was water on the floor. I went looking for the roof leaks. When I got to the front room, I noticed that water was coming in the doors. I started putting things that I could up higher. At which time my cell-phone decided to take a swim. Not very successfully, I might add.
 
As the water rose I began a struggle to guide my floating refrigerator. Bad move! In the process I wrenched my back rather badly, from which I have not recovered. As the waters rose to my knees, I said to myself: You damn fool, you should have gone to the Retreat Center (across the street). When the water reached just below my hips, it stopped. In a little while it began to recede almost as quickly as it rose. Found out later, the high water was not from the rain but from a wind-surged which was estimated about twenty-five to thirty feet at Bay St. Louis.
 
While there was only about three to four feet in the house, the Province Office received about seven or eight feet of water. When the storm died down a bit, some Bay St. Louis residents, who had taken refugee in the Retreat Center, had seen me looking out the door every once and a while and sent a young man to bring me to the Retreat Center. There I found about twenty people, ranging from the teens to the seventies. They told me the water reached eight feet in the Retreat center and they had to spend some hours in the attic.
 
An hour or two later, the rain had stopped and we made our way to the residence. We had to use a round about way because of the stream (cullee) that runs between the Retreat Center and the Residence. We found every one safe there and learned that the Residence had received about three feet of water. Outside of the water damage the main damage was to the roof of the residence (a flat roof) where most of the covering had been blown away. There was little other outside damage. The main chapel also received water damage and some tiles were blown away or broken. There were not many of these. All of the residents of the seminary were safe and uninjured.
 
Because of the water at the Residence, the generator had konked out. Later that day (or the next morning) a repairman was able to restart the generator.  One of the "miracles" of the situation was a water flow. There was a pipe sticking out of the ground. On Tuesday, clear water began to flow. This was valuable for washing and flushing the toilets. Outsiders heard of the water flow and came asking if they could fill their tanks. The answer was yes since we could control the flow and it was the right thing to do to let the water be used.
 
At the residence, there about fifteen or twenty people staying. One of them was the seminary's cook. She found all kinds of ways to prepare meals.  On Tuesday, as helicopters kept flying overhead, one was flagged down. We informed them that we had a member (Fr. George Artis) who would need dialysis the next day. The air-lifted George to a nearby hospital. The next day a FEMA helicopter landed. They took inventory of the outsiders who were staying with us and promised help since we were giving shelter to so many.
 
A lot of the clean-up work inside the residence was begun. Bishop Terry Steib, SVD (Bishop of Memphis, TN) was visiting us for some "relaxation" from his duties. He found other duties, which were very physical. He spent the greater part of each day, helping with the clean-up. One of the most taxing was ripping out water-logged carpet.
Since we were without communications at the Bay, I went to Immaculate Heart in Lafayette, LA to send out the messages and let all know how things were and what was needed. Besides food and water, one of the greatest needs is for diesel fuel.
 
All of the members of the Province are accounted for except Fr. Jerome LeDoux. We have no word, one way or another. Although he was in one of the "safer" parts of New Orleans, knowing LeDoux, if some called and said they needed help, he would go no matter the conditions.
 
Since being here in Lafayette, we have been able to set up collecting points and sent out a list of the things that are most needed. I intend to return to the Bay on Monday. Besides the trauma, the physical conditions of the Bay will need quite a lot of  time and money to bring back to normal. We have had offers of various kinds from our sister Provinces and the Chicago Province is sending help for the clean-up.
 
The psalms' "O quam bonum and jucundum habitare fratres IN UNUM is surely being shown. Keep us all in your Masses and prayers.
 
Joe Si
 
 
From Fr. Simon (Sunday)
 
Confreres: Fr. Jerome LeDoux has been found. He is holed up at a parish in New Orleans, probably St. Augustine's.
The firemen have ordered him to evacuate. It seems that the place is a little island in the midst of destruction. A relative of his called, concerned that he refuses to evacuate since the firemen stated they will return only once more to rescue him. She wanted someone who could put pressure on him to leave. The message is being conveyed to him that I have ordered him to leave and go to one of our places, either in Texas or Louisiana. I hope that this will work but I am not sure. If I remember correctly his Canon Law doctoral thesis was on ways to avoid or evade ecclesiastical censures!!
 
Joe Si
 
 
From Fr. Darrell Kelly, SVD (newly ordained in May 2005)

I am doing fine in St. Martinsville, LA.  We did not receive any damaging wind or rain.  All the SVDs on the Mississippi Coast and in LA are accounted for.  They are alive.  We had some scary moments trying to locate several of our confreres. 
In St. Martinville, we have over 1000 displaced people.  Some of the displace people are relatives of Notre Dame parishioners.  The St. Martinville Ministerial Association, the citizens of St. Martinville and St. Martin Parish are trying to help them. 
Please keep all of us in your prayers.  God bless.
From Fr. Sonny Nguyen, SVD   (Vocation Director)
 
This week has been a bit hectic for me due to the devastating hurricane.  I was interrupted most of the time worrying about families, kinfolks, and friends that were directly affected by the hurricane.  Over the weekend, three of my siblings and I evacuated my dad, his wife, my sister and sister in-law with their families to Dallas.  This event reminded me of Vietnam in 1975 when we left everything we own and escaped.  They lost everything and packed only a backpack per person when we evacuated them. They are temporarily residing at my three brothers in Dallas.
 
From Fr. Thanh Nguyen, SVD  (Professor at CTU, currently teaching a class in the Holy Land)

I still do not know exactly where my mom is. The last I heard is that she was on her way to the Superdome and then to Houston. But I am not sure.  No one knows whether or not she got on a bus to Houston. My brother in Houston is supposed to pick her up but I can imagine the mess and the crowd of people so it will take a lot of effort to single her out. I am worried for Mom. I wish I were home to be with the rest of my brothers and sister who have lost everything in this tragedy. Yet I am here trying to keep the group going teaching and getting ready to go up to Galilee for 10 days. I will not have computer access as easily. So pray for me and mom, and the rest of my family. Thanks.
From Fr. Mark Weber, SVD, Chicago Province Provincial (Friday)
 
Our confreres along the Gulf Coast have sent more news as to the situation there. Here's the current location of some of our refugees: Provincial Joe Simon is now based at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Lafayette LA, to coordinate communications from there. Bob Pung is also there. Jim Pawlicki, Tom Potts, Sebastian Myladiyil and George Gormley remain at the Bay. There are around 20 refugees from town staying with them there, where they continue to cook outside and have started some basic clean-up efforts. George Artis is now in Opelousas, having returned from dialysis in Mobile, along with Bernard Assenyoh, Tony Hemphill, and Francis Damoah. Alfred Ayem, Bob Fisher, and Samuel Adjei are at Notre Dame in St. Martinville. Stan Plutz is in Eunice. Gus Wall is in Maurice. The only confrere that no one has heard from yet is Jerome LeDoux, out of St. Augustine's in New Orleans. We continue to pray for his safety. The confreres are moving about as they take on different tasks, so their locations continue to shift from day to day. Below is the text of a message from Gus Wall, describing in more detail some of the situation. Let us continue to keep our confreres and all those suffering through this time in our thoughts and prayers. Peace, Mark Weber

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