Hurricane Ida Takes Out United Methodist Church Buildings

First United Methodist Church in Hammond, La., faces a major cleanup from pine trees blown down in Hurricane Ida. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Drew Sutton.

The Revs. Michelle and Jason Harris, a clergy couple, serve United Methodist churches that took a direct hit from Hurricane Ida as it moved with devastating force through southeast Louisiana earlier this week.

St. Charles United Methodist, in Destrehan, had three buildings before the storm. It’s pretty much down to two.

“The Sunday school building — it’s a total loss,” said Michelle Harris, St. Charles’ pastor. “The roof blew off. We’ll lose everything in that building, and the whole building will go.”

At least she knows her church’s story. Jason Harris was still trying to get a report on his church, First United Methodist in LaPlace, where flooding was severe and many roads remain impassable.

“I’m hoping in the next day or so I’ll be able to get to the church, or somewhat near, to try to assess,” the LaPlace pastor said.

At her episcopal residence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Conference Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey has had to rely on a generator for electricity, and has made do with spotty to nonexistent Wi-Fi and internet.

But she’s had enough reports to know that United Methodist structures in southeast Louisiana took a hit from Ida.

“Quite a few churches, parsonages and homes owned by pastors,” Harvey said of the storm’s toll. “We’ve got a spreadsheet working of where all those are. We do see extensive damage.”

Harvey and other conference officials are unaware of any United Methodists who were killed or injured. But in LaPlace and some other heavily flooded areas, search and rescue work continued. Read More

Also See:
At least 80 Louisiana churches damaged; Hurricane Ida relief ramps up
Episcopalians assess damage from Hurricane Ida, brace for extended power outages in Louisiana

I attended university in Hammond, La., the home of Southeastern Louisiana State University. Hammond First UMC is the church shown in the photo. I have posted links to three articles describing the damage to the churches of the three denominations with which I was affiliated in southeast Louisian. I moved to Kentucky after Hurricane Katrina. I have family in southeast Louisiana. From the reports that I have received from my oldest niece, they survived the fury of Hurricane Ida and their homes have not sustained too much damage. As my niece put it, the damage that they received from Katrina was far worse. Other Louisiana residents were less fortunate than they were. Ida did considerable damage to their homes, businesses, and churches. I ask your prayers for all who were affected by Hurricane Ida. Please channel your contributions through your denomination relief organizations and be on the alert for scammers who will take advantage of people in the wake of natural disasters like this one.