NORFOLK, Va. — Tropical Storm Isaias blew through Norfolk Tuesday morning, ripping a brick wall off of First Baptist Church of Lambert's Point on West 38 Street.
The damage left the interior of the church completely exposed to the elements on one side - and officials said the falling bricks landed on a gas meter, starting a leak.
By noon, the gas leak had been repaired by Virginia Natural Gas workers.
The wall that fell was a section of the older part of the church, which has been built onto since its original construction in the late 1800s.
The Norfolk Fire Department said wind was the likely culprit of the damage to the church.
On Tuesday morning, Reverend Paige of First Baptist Church told 13News Now investigative reporter Evan Watson that he plans to repair the building.
Fallen wood and bricks are still piled on the sidewalk outside of the church. As of Tuesday, 38th Street is blocked off and traffic is rerouted.
“The big hole, I just can’t get over that, that’s powerful," said Diane Wyatt, who came to see the damage. "Hopefully it can all be fixed right and get back to normal because it’s hard for those parishioners."