Church In Cherry Hills Village Flooded One Week After Major Renovation
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. CBS4) - Just days after celebrating the completion of a major renovation, a church community in Cherry Hills Village is reeling from flood damage.
Some people were out of their homes on Friday because of high water. It's not the lowest laying area so the flood took everyone by surprise.
The rain had stopped but the water kept rising. It got so high it made moving through streets impossible and flooded a handful of properties. City workers couldn't move fast enough to clear drains and nowhere saw the effect from that more than the Sanctuary Christian Fellowship just south of Hampden and Clarkson.
"There's six acres here and none of it is normally underwater," said Michael Gray, the senior minister at the Sanctuary Christian Fellowship.
More than four feet of water took over the basement, wreaking havoc on a $500,000 renovation that was finished there just a week ago. It's a flood that no one expected, especially the church. Gray says they'll have to pay for the damage out of pocket because they didn't think they'd need the flood insurance.
Recovery for the church is a longer road. The first renovation was completed entirely by donations to the church. Gray hopes the same generosity that finished the church the first time will return.
"Honestly, for me all this faith stuff is real. So for me, if I believe that it, then changes everything and it even changes my outlook on things," he said.
The water was so high the church couldn't get in for a full assessment of the damage. They're currently estimating it around $50,000, but if their foundation took a hit it could be much more.
