Storms in early July damaged more than 150 trees, unknown number of gravestones
Cleanup work is ongoing at Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis after storms in early July knocked down trees and damaged gravestones.
The cemetery is expected to remain closed until at least the end of July as crews work to make roads passable and remove debris, said Matthew DeWitt, managing director of administration services with Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Bellefontaine Cemetery, located next to Calvary, also sustained damage.
“Utter devastation is the best way to describe it,” DeWitt said. “None of us have seen anything like this. The view of the cemetery will never be the same.”
Storms hit the area June 30 through the early morning hours of July 2, causing damage and knocking out power in several parts of the St. Louis metro area. The National Weather Service in St. Louis, which issued several severe thunderstorm warnings that weekend, later determined the damage was caused by straight line winds estimated between 60-70 miles per hour.
It is estimated about 150 to 200 trees at Calvary were downed, sliced, split or damaged, DeWitt said. About a third of the 27.5 miles of road within the 470-acre cemetery were impassable due to downed trees. All but one road had been cleared by July 13; workers from other Catholic cemeteries have been called in to assist with ongoing debris removal.
Cemetery workers will be repairing areas of the ground where trees were uprooted. Some of those trees were along roadways, with at least one causing damage to the road and sewer line beneath it. Calvary eventually plans to replace trees that fell.
Burials and entombments continue to take place at the cemetery during the closure, and all services are being held in the mausoleum chapels. Out of caution for the safety of visitors, mourners are not permitted to visit gravesites for the time being.
Calvary plans to document gravestones impacted by storm damage and attempt to notify families who were affected. Damage will be documented in lotholder files for future reference. Families whose memorials were damaged may contact their homeowner’s insurance provider to file a claim, DeWitt said. The process of documenting gravestones is expected to take at least six to eight weeks, once the majority of the debris has been removed.
“The biggest question that people are asking is: ‘Are my monuments OK?’” DeWitt said. “The reality is, we don’t know the answer to that. We know people are upset they that they can’t visit their loved ones who are buried here. Be patient with us and let us get most of the debris out of the way first.”
Located on West Florissant Avenue, Calvary was established as an archdiocesan cemetery in 1854, when Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick purchased the farm land from Senator Henry Clay. It is the second oldest of the archdiocesan cemeteries and the final resting place of notable individuals including Dred Scott, General William Tecumseh Sherman, Kate Chopin and Auguste Chouteau.
Regular maintenance, such as mowing, trimming and general repairs have been suspended. DeWitt said they hope to restore normal maintenance in sections of the cemetery with minimal impact as soon as possible. Grave decoration removals at all Catholic Cemeteries have been canceled for July.
“Whenever the news now says a storm is coming, we’re holding our breath,” DeWitt said. “Because it’s already pretty bad. Will it get any worse?”
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