The roof of Wilson Street Baptist Church in Timaru is being replaced after it was damaged in a catastrophic hailstorm that struck the region in November 2019.
The roof replacement will cost around $80,000, according to a report by Stuff, with the cost fully covered by insurance. The hailstorm damaged the church’s roof tiles as well as the long run iron on the new hall.
According to the Insurance Council of New Zealand, the Timaru hailstorm was New Zealand’s costliest weather event since 2000, with insured losses beyond $170 million. The damage was so severe that foreign experts from Australia and Brazil had to assist in repairing the thousands of vehicles and structures dented in the hailstorm.
Wilson Street Baptist Church and its adjacent hall were built in 1916. In 2013-2014, the hall was demolished and a new one was erected, along with other renovation works.
The current roof, installed in the 1970s, contains asbestos, a common feature in buildings during that time period, said church administrator Marty Wilson. The roof replacement is expected to take around two more weeks. Church services continue as usual, but the front entrance is closed to the public until construction is finished.
