The damaged remains of The Notre Dame Cathedral, which lost large parts of its roof and its spire in an intense fire last week, are now at risk for water damage as heavy rains are expected in Paris throughout the end of the week into the weekend.
In a race against time, the team tasked with repairing the cathedral have plans to place a tarp across the large holes in the roof to avoid greater damage to the parts of the roof that remain, as well as the famous vaulted ceilings.
"The cathedral's vault, which partly collapsed in the fire, is already partly waterlogged after fire-fighting efforts. Architects fear that heavy rainfall could result in further collapse of the 800-year-old cathedral,"according to BBC News.
Professional mountain climbers have been brought in to lay the tarp across the holes, a feat that requires experience. This temporary cover will be used as crews work to remove all of the damaged scaffolding that was being utilized in the renovation efforts that were underway prior to the fire.
Rainy spells will continue to move across northern France, including Paris, through this weekend. Thunderstorms can also rumble on Friday.
Reconstruction efforts have started making a protective 'umbrella', serving as a reliable long-term solution to the gaping holes throughout the roofing. This 'umbrella' will remain in place until the holes in the roof have been restored and water damage is no longer a looming threat.
The large remains of damaged scaffolding are predicted to take a month to remove, the first major step in reconstruction efforts.
Over one billion dollars have been donated from around the world to fund the rebuilding efforts of the cathedral, according to The Washington Post. France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has vowed that the cathedral will be repaired in five years, ready to be displayed to the world in the 2024 Summer Olympic games hosted in Paris.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway, investigators believe that "an electrical short caused the construction equipment being used by the workers renovating the building" according to France 24.