Historic Montreal church floods after intense rain

Union United Church, a historic site in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighbourhood, is hit by heavy rain and flooding.

Union United Church, a historic site in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood, was hit by heavy rain and flooding over the weekend.

“I was met with water running to me,” recalled Charlene Hunte, a member of the church.

She explained that even the roof was no match for the powerful storm.

“The water was just pouring down from all, inside the light fixtures,” said Hunte. “Everything was down here on the ground. Just the wires were covered in water.”

The church’s choir director, Kimble Sherwood, said the situation was catastrophic, as they were supposed to host a live gospel concert that Saturday.

“We had to clean up,” he said. “We’re looking at amplifiers. We’re looking at pianos. We’re looking at everything and everything.”

Ahead of the impending show, members of the choir, including singer Scott Feltham, traded in their concert attire for overalls and gloves to join in the clean-up.

“I just wanted to make sure we were clean enough to get going, and the sanctuary was dry,” he said.

Against all odds, the team succeeded in cleaning up the mess by showtime.

In addition to entertaining the masses, the church also serves as a community centre, a soup kitchen and a food bank.

Though the church suffered major damage, Sherwood pointed out that the congregation did not hesitate to come together to rebuild so they could continue helping those less fortunate.

“We said, ‘those who want to volunteer and clean up, you’re welcome,’” he said. “Of course, knowing how resilient this congregation is, they came out.”

The Montreal Fire Department confirmed that there was no electrical risk to the church.