Between 16 and 17 October, around 600 mm of rain fell on the abbey in 36 hours. There was extensive material damage to the site. The shop, the cellars containing all the stocks of our products, and several areas such as the hikers' reception area were badly flooded. 10 cm in the hikers' reception area, 30 cm in the shop, and almost a metre in the cellars. The boilers in all these buildings were submerged in a metre of water, and computer equipment, furniture and many other objects were ruined.
On 18 October, the fire brigade was hard at work pumping out the cellars, while friends, employees and workmen were repairing the monastery's drinking water supply, which had been ripped out by torrents of rainwater.
You can see more images in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS-Tjp-RGxc
The external damage is considerable, particularly to the forest paths, and the community may have to pay for the entire repair work.
Our insurance companies will cover part of the damage, but we are very grateful to anyone who can help us financially to cope with this disaster. You can make a donation on the Fondation des Monastères website by selecting ‘I would like to make a donation to COMMUNAUTE CISTERCIENNE NOTRE DAME DES NEIGES’ via this link: https://don.fondationdesmonasteres.org/soutenir
Thank you so much for your help, your friendship and your prayers. We assure you of ours in return.
Don't hesitate to write to us at inondation@ndneiges.org if you live nearby and can lend us a hand!
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