Two hospitals flooded after frozen pipes burst

Yarmouth Regional Hospital and Queens General Hospital in Liverpoolaredamaged after frozen pipes burst, flooding parts of each building, according to separate news releases from the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Patients in the mental health unit in Building B of theYarmouthhospital had to be moved after that part of the building flooded around 1:00 a.m. Saturday. Those patients have been moved to a temporarylocation within the hospital.

Along with mental health and addictions services, Building B contains diagnostic imaging, public health, doctor's offices, ambulatory care, cafeteria and administrative offices.

There is no public access to the flooded areas and the health authority said the flooding is contained.

The emergency department at the Yarmouth hospital remains open and scheduled appointments and procedures are going ahead where possible. People with appointments scheduled at the hospital are asked to call ahead to make sure theywill still take place.

No inpatient areas were affectedby the flood at Queens General Hospital. A pipe burst in 1989 wingaround 4:00 p.m. Saturday. The area houses rehabilitation services, a file room, along with a basement maintenanceand storage area.

Fire crews cleared the area and the emergency department remains open.

"Today we're finishing the cleanup, ensuring the walls are dry.We have the insurer coming on site to do an assessment with the water abatement company," said Theresa Hawkesworth, a spokeswoman for Queens hospital.

Rehabilitation appointments on Monday may need to be rescheduled, that decision will be made Sunday afternoon. The hospital staff will contact patients directly.

It's not clear from either news release exactly how much damage the flooding caused toeachhospital.

"Can't really qualify that at this point, I think that all needs to be assessed during the course of the day. I haven't been on site so it would be really hard for me to describe that," said Hawkesworth.

Decisions about regular programs and services that would normally go ahead in the flooded areas at the Yarmouth hospitalwill be made Sunday afternoon.