We Need Your Help! Our Temple received flood waters from the aftermath of hurricane Ian.

After spending the whole day on Thursday moving all of the temple’s belongings to a higher level, we came back home this morning at 2:00 am. The swamp at the back of the temple filled up and pushed its waters out onto the temple property, including the temple itself. The temple’s kitchen was the first to be flooded. Water seeped through the walls into our spare room mixed with water from the kitchen. Next, the water seeped into the Pujari and altar room.

Our deities Sri Sri Nitai Gaura Nataraj and Srila Prabhupada have been moved to a safe place and Their services are going on uninterrupted. We will bring Them back to the temple once it is cleaned and ready to move in. The temple devotees are fine and safe as well, however, they have been relocated as well.

The road on which the temple is situated has been blocked by the police because of high levels of flooding. The other side of the road was under 7 feet of water and neighboring communities are still under the floodwaters. A few cars were stuck inside the water with only their roof showing, in an attempt to escape their flooded communities.

We talked to officials about the reason for the flooding and they said it was because of the many retention ponds in neighboring communities along with the heavy downpour. Police went door-to-door around the neighborhood to ask residents to evacuate, with airboats carrying citizens who were unable to escape.

We are not in a flood zone, but the heavy downpour caused the rivers and retention ponds to overflow.

The flood water has caused damage to the temple building floors and walls, making it prone to develop toxic mold making the place uninhabitable until all repairs are completed. Stains, bubbling, and deterioration can occur because of water seeped through the walls. Hidden water leaks can also cause mold to grow and spread in areas behind walls and ceilings where it can’t be detected easily. We are in the process of assessing the damages.

Here are ways you can provide help to rebuild our temple:

Zelle: iskcon.orlando@gmail.com

Paypal: www.iskconorlando.com

Check: PO Box 677636 Union Park FL 32867