Tuesday night, a water main broke in the utility room of the PeopleCare long-term care home on Mornington Street in Stratford.
It caused about two feet of water to spread across the basement. In the utility room itself, the flood reached five feet.
While nobody was hurt, the building’s heating system was taken down by the water.
As a result, all 55 residents – many of whom were sleeping at the time – had to be evacuated.
“Some found it to be an exciting experience, while others were tramautized by it and didn’t want to leave what, to them, is home,” Michael Gornyiczky, the city’s acting fire chief, told CTV News.
By mid-morning Wednesday, the evacuation was complete. The displaced residents are now spread between 10 other nursing homes, including one as far away as Cambridge.
“The residents are all quite comfortable in their new environments,” said Brent Gingerich, PeopleCare’s CEO.
“If there’s additional staffing required, then our team is going out to those locations and supporting them there.”
According to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, more than a dozen items needed replacement or inspection following the flood.
By Thursday afternoon, some of those issues had been dealt with – but among those still outstanding were replacement of two water heaters, two boilers and an air exchange system, as well as elevator repair.
The facility won’t be able to reopen until all those issues are dealt with.
PeopleCare has set a goal of being able to reopen within seven to 10 days, although Gingerich said everyone involved is ready in case the delay stretches well past that timeframe.
