Source: Mark Wilson / Getty
Bishop Grace, Pastor of First Baptist Hilltop Church in Frostproof, Florida, says the 100-year-old church was almost completed under water because of Hurricane Ian. Grace says the flooding is the third time the church has been submerged in water because of natural disasters even though the building is not in a flood zone. In 2016, Hurricane Irma caused the church to flood.
Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on September 28th. Ian was the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida since 1935. Western Cuba, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina received widespread damages. At least 137 deaths were reported as a result of Ian. Florida reported 126 deaths and North Carolina reported 5 deaths. The other fatalities were reported in Cuba, 5, and Virginia, 1.
It’s been more than three weeks since the Hurricane made landfall and the cleanup continues. Florida received extensive damage with numerous buildings and homes destroyed. There are piles of debris stacked 8 and 10 feet high around the area impacted by Ian.
According to Bishop Grace, the church is getting tired of the same problem and no solution. Grace says the church needs to consider installing a better drain system as one option to better control flooding in the future.
