The PeopleCare long-term care home in Stratford will remain closed for “months,” its operator said Thursday.
“There was extensive damage – probably more than we initially expected,” PeopleCare CEO Brent Gingerich told CTV News.
“We are working through the cleanup process at the home. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be a quick process.”
The home has been closed since mid-February, when a water main broke at the facility.
Parts of the basement saw as much as five feet of water – although nobody noticed until an elevator was called up to the third floor.
“The doors opened, and out gushed about two feet of water. It was really something out of a movie,” Gingerich said.
Most of the home’s 55 residents were asleep at the time. All had to be evacuated, in a process that took hours.
Marilyn Hauser-Mustard’s father was among them.
Although his turn to leave didn’t come until nearly 6 a.m., Hauser-Mustard said she was “amazed” at the efficiency of the evacuation.
“Everything went so smoothly,” she said.
Once the residents were out, attentions turned to damage assessment and cleanup.
The building’s boiler system was damaged beyond repair. Temporary heating was brought in, and new boilers have since been installed.
On the residents’ levels, flooring has been ripped up and needs to be replaced. So does the elevator.
Until everything is back to normal, the 55 displaced residents continue to stay elsewhere.
Hauser-Mustard’s father was moved to a home near Sebringville. Nearly half of the residents are now in Waterloo Region or Wellington County – including 17 at one facility in Cambridge.
“When something like this happens … you really do rely on your neighbours and other partners in the health care system,” said Dale Clement, CEO of the Waterloo-Wellington Community Care Access Centre.
