Victoria General hospital repairs could take months following flood

It could take "weeks or months" to repair flood damage after a pipe burst in the Centennial Building at the Victoria General hospital site, the head of the province's health board said Friday.

A total of 106 surgeries have been cancelled and about 50 patients some of them in intensive care had to be moved after water poured through the hospital Thursday night. The health authority says outpatient services will also be affected.

Janet Knox, CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said ICU, ear, nose and throat, as well as palliative care and oncology patients have been affected on floors three, four and five of the site.

A "great deal of water" burst from a pipe, Knox said, and she credits staff with quickly moving people who needed to be relocated.

Ceiling tiles came down, but there were no injuries to patients. Knox said it was "scary" for patients during the evacuation.

There is some good news, however, as none of the equipment was destroyed by water, she said.

The health authority is working to manage the surgery rebooking process. Knox said patients should call their clinics.

A code green was activated at the VG after a pipe on the fifth floor burst at around 8 p.m. Thursday.

"Water was running down the elevator shafts," one staff member told CBC News Friday morning.

A code green is an evacuation order issued when an area is, or may become, unsafe for patients, visitors or staff.

'It's an old building'

The water was shut off, but a significant amount gushed through the building, the health authority says. An emergency operations centre has been activated and is meeting at the Halifax Infirmary site on Summer Street.

The emergency operations centre is "our hub for decision making during a crisis or an emergency," said Everton McLean, a spokesman for the health authority.

A statement from the health authority says affected areas of the building will be out of use for a prolonged time.

Housekeeping and maintenance at the VG were on site Thursday night to clean up and to find the source of the flood.

Four years ago, the Nova Scotia government said it would send out a request for proposals to replace the Centennial Building, one of two buildings that make up the Victoria General site.