Haiti Parish Suffers Major Flash-flood Damage

Days after returning from a mission trip to their “twinned parish,” members of the Haiti Outreach Ministry at St. Joseph Parish in Vanderburgh County learned that their St. Jacques Parish in Plaine de Nord, Haiti, suffered nearly catastrophic damage from flash flooding.

Ministry member Greg Head told The Message that the group of 10 who visited St. Jacques in early November endured conditions that forced the parish school to cancel classes on four different days due to heavy rain, high water and treacherous travel conditions. “A week after the group’s return, we learned that the rain had continued, and intensified, and that a flash flood had inundated Plaine du Nord,” Head said.  

“We learned that there was loss of life, more than fifty homes in the town suffered significant damage, and that several were totally washed away,” he added.  The report on the parish and its resources were grim.

St. Jacques’ church, rectory, elementary school and clinic were partially submerged by the flooding.  The church had water and mud covering the floors and pews.  The same is true of the elementary school, where most of the school records were washed away and the furnishings damaged or washed away.  

The generators that the Haiti Outreach Ministry had provided to power the church, rectory and school were submerged.  Food stored in a warehouse to feed the school children was destroyed.  The cooking utensils that staff used to prepared the food for lunches, as well as the plates and cups used by the children, were washed away.  

The rectory was flooded. The associate pastor’s bedroom was inundated, damaging his possessions and vestments; the adjoining cook’s residence and kitchen were submerged with loss of the cooking pots and utensils, and loss and damage to personal possessions.   

The parish truck was submerged and damaged, requiring significant repairs.  The flash flood also destroyed a portion of the parish-compound wall, which collapsed.  

Many in the surrounding community lost their household possessions, clothes, cooking items, furnishings and food.  Some lost their gardens and animals (e.g., goats, chickens, cows) that they depended on for food.  

St Joseph Haiti Outreach members have tried to maintain communication with Fr. Raynold, the pastor of St. Jacques Parish, and have learned that necessary repair, rebuilding and replacement of items lost in the flood will exceed $20,000. “Unfortunately in Haiti, there are no government services or insurance providers to cover these types of costs,” Head said.  

St. Joseph Parish receives support from Evansville’s Corpus Christi Parish for the Haiti Outreach Ministry, but these current circumstances are extraordinary. As a result, Head contacted The Message to share the story and let readers know that any financial assistance they can provide will be extremely helpful.

Those interested in donating should mail a check (payable to St. Joseph Church – Haiti Flood) to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 6202 W. Saint Joseph Road, Evansville, IN 47720. If you want to learn more about the need, fundraising or how to get involved in the Haiti-outreach effort you contact Head at 812-455-3903 or email gahateville@aol.com.

The Message has reported on St. Joseph’s Haiti Outreach Ministry and other Haiti-outreach efforts involving parishes across our 12 counties. We ask that any other parishes in our 12 counties share reports from the Haitian parishes they support. Email news to message@evdio.org, and we will publish them as we are able.