'We are affected, but we have come together to help'

By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

FORT LAUDERDALE | In the midst of clearing debris and mitigating the damage caused by the enormous flood that affected the structures and school of St. Jerome Church in Fort Lauderdale, parishioners organized an aid distribution for the victims in the neighborhoods surrounding the parish.

The relief delivery was organized by St. Jerome volunteers on April 22, with the support of several Broward County parishes including St. Mark in Southwest Ranches; St. Katharine Drexel, in Weston; All Saints, in Sunrise; and Nativity, in Hollywood. They brought donations of food, clothing, immediate necessities, blankets, sheets and toys, among others.

They also received help from the city of Fort Lauderdale, the police, the Orlando Knights of Columbus, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami and families who voluntarily brought their donations.

“We are trying to help a little because the floods affected a lot, both the church and the surrounding community,” said Luz Duran, who with her husband Alexander and other volunteers from St. Mark and St. Katharine Drexel parishes brought clothing, shoes and toiletries that they collected in their parishes.

St. Jerome was the only archdiocesan parish affected by the flooding in Broward County.

“Totally affected; we have lost everything, the school is closed, and the students are doing school online,” said Evelyn Rodríguez, administrator of the parish.

Rodríguez also said that they are using the house of the parish priest, Father Joseph Maalouf, to coordinate the work of mitigation, cleaning and repair of the damages in order to open the school. It has been closed since April 13 because all the classrooms were affected. The students, around 200, are expected to return to face-to-face classes on May 1.

“A team of about 75 people is working all week,” Rodríguez said, adding, “we are blessed to have insurance. The archdiocese is working very diligently to help us."

 

THE DAMAGES

After several days of rain, the downpours on April 12, 2023 caused a record flood in Broward County. It was an unusual event; not even with hurricanes have there been floods of that magnitude.

Several areas surrounding the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport received nearly 26 inches of rain, shutting it down for nearly two days. The hardest hit areas were the River Oaks and Edgewood neighborhoods, where St. Jerome Parish is located.

“Here they sailed in boats. This area was completely flooded. The church was flooded, the school was flooded, the chapel, everything, everything, absolutely everything,” Rodríguez said.

“This was a disaster when I left on Thursday, the cars all flooded. On Friday, Saturday, the beds all outside. If you go around the area back here, all the furniture is still outside the houses,” said Vicky Sánchez, a volunteer from St. Jerome Parish, as she helped pass out food donations in front of the church entrance.

Sánchez said that fortunately she was not affected by the flood, but her neighbors and relatives who live near the parish were.

“They lost beds, things, furniture. Thank God no one lost their lives, everyone is fine," Sánchez said.

The flooding did not reach the house of Carla Garza, who lives near the parish. It only affected her patio. But she is sheltering three families who lost everything.

“We are sharing with them food, where to sleep and everything,” Garza said while receiving donations of food and clothing at St. Jerome.

“I totally lost everything, everything, everything. Right now we are sleeping on the floor," said María, of Guatemalan origin, who has two children. But, she added, “thank God, today they gave me a bunk bed," which was for sale, but when she explained her situation, it was donated to her.

The situation is worse for people who rent their apartments.

“The owners are putting their tenants out on the street because they need to renovate the apartments and they can't return for another three months and people have to move,” said Sánchez.

The city is giving them water, food, “they have watched out for us. Yes, there is help, thank God, but not for housing," added Sánchez.

“In this area most of the houses were flooded. Many rent, they do not own, and many of them are immigrants, so they do not have insurance. The owners, some are good, are helping, some not so much,” said Richard Campillo, a volunteer with the city of Fort Lauderdale.

Campillo said the city of Fort Lauderdale is collecting information from the entire neighborhood to find out what people need and then provide support. Those who want to apply for this help, can visit fortlauderdale.gov/neighborneeds. The city also set up stations where people can get water, food, and free laundry service.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami handed out “40 Walmart cards, each for $250, for the purchase of food and clothing,” said Jackie Carrión, director of Community Services for the agency.

In addition, they registered around 170 people to assess their needs and provide help later, and helped people fill out applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, or SNAP.

The parish was closed for 10 days. All activities in the church were canceled and Mass was celebrated online from the chapel.

But "it was possible to remove all the water, sanitize and wash all the pews that are going to be replaced in the future," Rodríguez said, and on Saturday, April 22, the church opened to celebrate two baptisms and then vigil Masses for Sunday.

“We are trying to help and say, here we are affected, but we have come together to help, that is what we are doing,” Rodríguez said.

The event helped around 200 families. "We are giving help that is a temporary patch, but at least it gives them relief in some way," she added.