Funviralpark Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG) – Many people experienced burst pipes and flooded their homes in the cold weather this past week in eastern Iowa.
One Cedar Rapids Church has discovered that the ruptured pipe didn’t just affect the organization, so it’s working on that very issue now.
“There was a gap of a few inches in there that I couldn’t get through with the door open, but I could hear water spurting out of the pipes,” said Stormy Garretson, the church’s office manager. .
The First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids has begun cleanup efforts after burst pipes flooded parts of the building. Garretson said the leak was there for several days before a broken pipe was discovered.
“We had a holiday weekend off, so we went yesterday morning and everything was flooded. There was water everywhere,” Garretson said.
Garretson said the full extent of the damage was not yet known, but one of the biggest impacts was on the artwork in the room. The Lynn Community Food Bank also calls this church home.
“We have lost a lot of food,” said Ron Malick, a volunteer at the Lynn Community Food Bank.
Donations are up due to the holiday season, Malick said, but they typically drop off towards the New Year.
“I hope it won’t take too long because there are people who need food. It’s the end of the month at this point and it’s the biggest time of the year for us. So this is hard for us to close. It’s time,” Malik said.
911 Restoration, a flood restoration service, came to the church on Wednesday to begin cleaning operations. Owner Andy Chihak said it takes at least a week just to dry things.
“First, we need to extract as much water as possible. Second, we need to extract as much water as possible from the material with fairly strong dehumidification and the heat of the fan air movement,” says Chihak. .
For now, the church is taking things step by step.
“We had a lot of anxious volunteers come in. They brought vacuums, brooms, squeegees. Whatever they had on hand to help clean up,” Garretson said. rice field.
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