The Disaster of St. Pierre

The clouds hung perpetually over Mount Pele now, like a black velvet blanket punctuated by a non-stop barrage of aerial lightning strikes. Some people tried to flee the city, but many more refugees, survivors from the Sugar Mill, from Leprechore and other towns buried in ash, replaced them. People slept on streets and in alleys, the police barracks, the Catholic Church, any place that could offer a roof for the police was offered up. Monsignor Gabriel Pirel gave a homily for the parishioners of St. Pierre's Cathedral that ranks towards the top of most appropriate Bible quotes ever.