CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- One private school in Brainerd says they suffered significant damage following this week’s flooding.
Calvary Christian School has been in operation for over 50 years and serves 25 K-12 students.
Pastor Jamie Colbert says he has been involved in the school since 2007 when his children began attending the school, and says he’s never seen a flood like this.
He said, “There’ve been minor issues where water came up to the parking lot but never into the building like this.”
Colbert says that 6 to 8 inches of water got into the school’s buildings, terrifying those still on property Tuesday evening.
He said, “There was a lot of nervousness, there was a lot of tension in their voices, they were distressed. They were concerned about even being able to get back to their homes from here and concerned what damage was going to take place to the buildings themselves.”
The aftermath of the flood damage at Calvary Christian School is especially evident in the carpeted areas.
The school is having to remove all of the carpet with all of the bulges with some of the damage remaining on the walls.
Colbert added, “A couple of the students had their electronics on the floor that was a complete loss… Anything that was on the floor, it was completely damaged.”
Colbert says that since the flood, most of the school’s families have pitched in to help clean up.
He also says that Friendship Baptist Church in East Ridge is offering their building for school operations for the time being, as they attempt to figure out how to rebuild.
Colbert said, “I know it’s going to be quite expensive.”
Even with this disaster, Colbert says that they are not losing hope in their mission.
Colbert said, “There’s always going to be storms in life. Things that are going to be difficult and frustrating, but our faith is just going to be as strong as ever, and we want to continue on. We are trusting the Lord, we know he wasn’t surprised by this and we know he’ll get us through this like any other situation that we might face.”
