Church still reeling from recent floods

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Evangelist Nathaniel B. Nicks' Gulf Coast Church of Christ in Pensacola has been serving the community since 1997.

A vicious storm that brought three days of rain in early June, swamping roads and stranding motorists, also flooded Nicks' church building on Old Corry Road.

Now it may have to close its doors.

“You know it’s a disaster in a couple of ways, physically as well as emotionally,” said Nicks.

The flood left a waterline nearly a foot high on the outside and inside of the church, leaving behind moldy, water soaked walls.

Items inside, including electronics, children’s toys and thousands of dollars in books were ruined.

“Our services have been interrupted for more than three weeks. Only the foyer and the sanctuary are operational,” Nicks said.

Nicks says this is the third time their building has been flooded, but he says they don’t have the resources to fix it again.

Nicks says there is approximately $60,000 to $100,000 in damage. He said they've reached out to Escambia County Commissioners to see if something can be done to fix the flooding problems on Old Corry Road.

The news of a possible closure is hard for many the church’s regular attendees, like Eddie Pugh.

“I was baptized here and it’s been my only church home. When I walked up here and saw the flood I felt like crying, because it’s like losing a part of you when you lose your church,” said Pugh.

Despite everything, Nicks is staying positive.

He says he plans to move to another location if possible.

“It’s just a temporary thing. It’s just like anything else, you can overcome it. It’s like football. In the first quarter you might lose, but in the second quarter you can come back out and try again. It isn’t over until all the time runs off the clock. We have time to try and recover,” he said.

If you'd like to help by donating to the Gulf Coast Church of Christ, you can contact them at 850-549-8056.