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                                   By Bob Lindsey

Historic St. Ferdinand Shrine has had water and flooding many times over the decades, but nothing like what hit the area last week. But this week, things are looking better

A GoFundMe account has been set up by the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine hoping to raise up to $250,000 for needed work and repairs   at the Shrine, which suffered its worst water damage ever July 26 from the 9-inch rainfall that day.

For several hours the grounds and Shrine had up to 3-feet of water in the historic church. Flood scenes all over North County were reported on television, radio and print. The Shrine seemed to have the most damage. Water receded quickly last Tuesday and residents and business owners began surveying the damage and are still working to get their buildings and property back to normal.

Carol Campbell, shrine director, said the floodwater crept through the whole shrine campus. It covered the pews and reached a prayer closet floor and alter steps. The church has flooded several times, the last time in 2013. But Campbell thought this was the worst. Buckled and mud covered floors were throughout the shrine. Historic documents and paintings, plus a baptismal font dating back to the Eighteenth-century, were recovered.

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine hosts many community events and an occasional wedding throughout the year. Fifteen events had to be cancelled, including the Polish Festival in late August and a planned Italian Festival in October. This would have been the third year in a row that Florissant hosted the Polish Festival on the shrine grounds.

The kitchen at the Knights of Columbus building on the grounds was flooded and can’t be ready in time for the Polish Festival and other planned events. Giant equipment with blowers to dry out the historic interior of the Shrine arrived last Friday and were still operating Monday . The Shrine’s Facebook page reported Monday that most of the artifacts, relicts and paintings have been located and are now safe and dry.

              Mayors Sought for Help to Flood Victims

Last Friday, local officials including Florissant Mayor Tim Lowery, Hazelwood Mayor Matt Robinson, Ferguson Mayor Ellie Jones, County Executive Dr. Sam Page and others gave a press briefing on the flood damage. They spoke at one of the hardest hit areas in the metro area, Florissant Meadows, which had flooding in most of the businesses in the center, located on North Lindberg Blvd.

Many have stayed closed this week as cleanup and refuge are being gathered. Restoration vehicles were still present on Tuesday as workers were drying out storefronts and businesses and cleaning up debris. Mayor Robinson reported the floodwater came from Coldwater Creek in the City of Hazelwood and that will have to be evaluated. Mayor Jones of Ferguson reported a lot of damage in her city, including flooded homes and businesses. Several mayors asked for volunteers to help in the cleanup.

Mayor Lowery began the press conference last Friday by stating that many Florissant residents had to leave their homes from the rising water and would be needing immediate assistance . ”Many residents are hurting from the flood, 100 homes and 50 businesses have been destroyed,” the Mayor said of the worst flood in this area in decades . Some weather forecasters called it a “500 year flood” because of the amount of rain in a short period of time and subsequent property damage. “It’s going to take some time and donations” before they get financial assistance from government agencies.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) representatives arrived Monday to assess the damage. They are coordinating with state emergency management officials and the U.S. Small Business Administration to document damage and determine which federal programs can help. Multiple Agency Resource Centers will help provide post–disaster needs such as housing, insurance, help with food and mental health counseling,Once the total damage can be determined a disaster recovery center can open. Gov. Mike Parson can request funding from the federal government, which he hopes to do this week. One estimate on Tuesday puts the amount of damage plus restoration and clean-up expenses at $87.8 million.

Rain Forecast Were Way Off; Shelters Were in Place Quickly

.   County Executive Sam Page in a statement said “he weather forecasts were, for once, not dire enough. There wasn’t much time to prepare for eight or nine inches of rain that ran out of places to drain,”

A shelter was established for those displaced due to flooding and first responders and others helped get people to safety. In order to get as many services as possible for St. Louis County, Dr. Page signed an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency. This enables the state to ask for federal funding to provide relief for residents for damage and free up funding for small business.

While the State of Emergency continues, so too does St. Louis County’s response. Dr. Page said, “St. Louis County did what it does best – we worked together to help each other out. Thank you to our police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatchers and all first responders for your tireless efforts to keep our community safe during this record rainfall.”

Anyone with damage to their home, vehicle, or other property should report it to the United Way’s 211 number to help catalog the damage as well to get

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