Catholic Charities assisting flood victims

Published: May 31, 2017

The following article was written by the staff of Catholic Charities of Arkansas. It was originally published in Catholic Charities Connections, a special section of Arkansas Catholic, on June 17, 2017.

In late April, a slow moving storm system brought significant rain to Oklahoma and areas along the border of Arkansas and Missouri. Rains were a constant downpour, filling the hill creeks and upcountry rivers. The tributaries emptied into area rivers in northeast Arkansas bringing them to unprecedented flood levels. It is considered a major flood when the Black River, for example, crests at 25 feet. This year's historic crest was 28.95 feet.

An evacuation order was issued May 1 for areas on the east bank of the Black River in Pocahontas. Parishioners from St. Paul Church volunteered, assisting with the evacuation of families in the affected area. By May 2, the river began to breach the levee in nine places as the surge from upriver arrived in Pocahontas.

Communities surrounding St. Joseph the Worker Church in Corning, St. John the Baptist Church in Engelberg and St. Paul Church in Pocahontas were hit hard. Each parish was, for a time, an island, isolated from the outside world because of the flooding from the Black, Current, Spring, Fourche and Elevenpoint rivers. More than 50 homes were destroyed and another 100 were damaged. Flood waters ruined an estimated two million acres of crops that had already been planted for the year.

On May 2, Catholic Charities of Arkansas (CCA) began to make disaster response funds available for the three parishes through St. Paul Church. The American Red Cross opened a shelter in an old nursing home in Pocahontas, housing about 35 people. As of May 31, the Red Cross was attempting to close the shelter but was having difficulty finding housing for more than 20 elderly with medical challenges. Randolph County did not have available rental properties or space in hospitals or nursing homes.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson applied to President Donald Trump for a presidential disaster proclamation to receive federal disaster relief funds. Once the water receded, the initial tasks were to dry out the land and housing and begin the process to “muck out” structures. Once dried, structures could then be evaluated to determine whether or not they could be repaired.

On May 30, the Red Cross began referring flood victims in need of assistance to St. Paul Church. The parish’s pastoral associate, Ronnie Ross, is the contact person for the project to provide assistance to the families in need. Financial donations and supplies from parishioners, the parishes and continuing funding from CCA has sufficed so far, but the long-range recovery efforts will require much greater resources to return displaced families back to normalcy.

Financial donations and supplies from parishioners, the parishes and continuing funding from CCA has sufficed so far, but the long-range recovery efforts will require much greater resources to return displaced families back to normalcy.

Tracy Eichenberger, Catholic Charities disaster preparedness and response coordinator, has visited Pocahontas several times since the flood. Working as the chair of the Long-Term Case Management Committee for the Arkansas Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) she has worked with county leaders, urging them to organize long-term recovery groups. Additionally, she has coordinated with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to provide assistance to flood survivors.

In the coming months, the long-term recovery group in Lawrence County will work to help families return to permanent housing. Leaders in Randolph County have decided, at this time, to not form a long-term recovery group. Donations are welcome. They will be used to provide assistance to those impacted by the flooding and to help administer those recovery efforts.

Donations to support the recovery efforts may be mailed to:

St. Paul Church
Attn. Ronnie Rose
1002 Convent St.
Pocahontas, AR 72455

Donations may also be mailed to:

Catholic Charities of Arkansas Disaster Fund
Diocese of Little Rock
2500 N. Tyler St.
Little Rock, AR 72207