Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk stands just across the street from the flood-prone Hague.

The Rev. Win Lewis shows how even on a sunny day, March 21, 2017, water can accumulate in the basement of Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk, which stands just across the street from the flood-prone Hague.

Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk stands just across the street from the flood-prone Hague.

The Rev. Canon Win Lewis and his congregation at Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk worry increasingly about the threat rising sea levels pose to their historic church.

Image Source: The Virginian-Pilot

Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church

“The signs point to more risk each year. Norfolk is among U.S. cities considered most vulnerable to sea level rise, partly because its land, as throughout Hampton Roads, is sinking – a problem called subsidence. But Lewis says Christ & St. Luke’s parishioners are entrusted with an “artistic and historic treasure” and are determined to protect it.

Mary Katherine Lanzillotta, a partner in Hartman-Cox, the church’s Washington-based architectural consultant, says a multimillion-dollar renovation and restoration project would include a geothermal system that will draw from the surrounding earth to provide heating and cooling. To reduce the church’s flooding risk, “we’re hoping to add some cisterns so that we can capture some rainwater coming off the roof and hold it essentially, retain it on site to such a time that the water levels go down and we can release it.”

— Stephen M. Katz, The Virginian-Pilot

pilot online_05.jpg — Click for Video

Courtesy of The Virginian-Pilot

Click for Full Article