[Grammar] happened/has happened sometime in

[Oceanlike]

The thunderstorm which destroyed parts of the village happened/has happened sometime in December 2012.

- I wanted to use ‘has happened’ but it did not seem right because of the word ‘flooded’. Is it correct if I use ‘had happened’?

- If I use ‘happened’, a simple past tense just like the other verb ‘flooded’, is it grammatically correct? If it is, kindly help me to understand why I can use simple past tense for the two verbs which happens one after the other.

Thank you! :-D

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think the context has made it clear that the thunderstorm happened before it destroyed parts of the village.

 

[Oceanlike]

There is no 'flooded' in your sentence..

Oh my mistake. I meant 'destroyed'