Pittsburgh-area woman rallies to restore church damaged by severe weather and flooding
OAKDALE, Pa. (KDKA) — A woman is on a mission to get her church in Oakdale back to where it was before severe storms filled it with several feet of water.
Last week, severe weather showed no mercy to the borough in Allegheny County.
"I have cried a handful of times over it," Kristin Nardei said.
The Church at the Rock, which also serves as a youth center, was hit hard. About 4 feet of water flooded the basement of the church, which does not have flood insurance.
"It is just devastating," Nardei said. "There is no other way to describe it."
"Heartbreaking isn't even the right word for it," Nardei added. "It's a word that is ten times worse than heartbreaking."
The church member said a lot of things can't be saved.
"We lost a water heater," Nardei said. "We lost a furnace. We lost all of the quilt lady's supplies and we lost probably close to 75 percent of all the supplies we use for the youth center and for vacation bible school. And three sewing machines."
To help, Nardei started a T-shirt and sweatshirt fundraiser.
"This church needed the help and I wanted to help," Nardei said.
Nardei showed KDKA-TV some of the progress that has been made.
"They did drywall," Nardei said. "The ductwork is new. They bleached and cleaned everything here."
But there is a lot of work to be done, and she hopes the community steps up.
