Fr Paddy O’Kane.
A clean up is under way this morning after heavy rain caused a Derry church to flood.
Parishioners are now in a rush to have Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty ready for this Saturday’s First Holy Communion.
It is the second in time in recent years the church has been damaged and has resulted in parish priest, Fr Paddy O’Kane, calling for the sewage system in the area to be looked at.
Fr O’Kane revealed it took around four minutes for the church to flood which occurred after heavy rainfall.
Parishioners rushed to the church to help Fr O’Kane who had unsuccessfully tried to stem the flow of water with sandbags.
Fr O’Kane said: “I tried my best to put the sandbags up but it did not stop the water coming in.
“The system here at Ballymagroarty needs to be looked at. The water just comes down like a river and comes through the back door.”
In the meantime, Fr O’Kane said consideration is being given to building a ramp so that water will run down the front of the church in the future.
Tags:
