Broken Toilet Pipe Floods Courthouse

ALL three floors of a court building were flooded following a water leak.

A crew from Stranton Fire Station rushed to Hartlepool Law Courts, in Victoria Road, where a broken pipe saw three inches of water drench various areas around offices and stairwells.

Firefighters located the source of the leak, a broken pipe in a toilet, and stopped the leak before mopping up the pools of water.

Watch manager Marty Challenor said: “There was quite a substantial amount of water from a broken pipe in the toilet.

“It affected the first, ground and basement floors, with about three inches of water around stairwells and offices.

“We found the source and managed to stop the leak, before undertaking salvage work by mopping up, clearing water and removing equipment.”

Firefighters spent 40 minutes at the scene, before a Hartlepool Borough Council clean-up team was expected to attend.

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Water Main Break Floods House and Closes Zoo

A water main break in east Abilene Tuesday sent a powerful burst of water that has damaged an Abilene home – and forced closure of the Abilene Zoo temporarily.

The Zoo was closed for over an hour because of low water supplies, according to the city communications manager. The zoo reopened for business when water was restored about 3 p.m.

Zoo officials said the zoo had plenty of water in pools and bowls for the animals but remained closed until repairs could be made.

A house and a pickup beside the house were damaged when the break caused a gusher in northeast Abilene, north of the zoo, on Northway Drive, on the north side of Highway 80.

Homeowners said the house was renovated just last year, but the water break sent a flood through and soaked the carpet. The water spout also blew rocks and debris high into the air, crashing down on a pickup and breaking its windshield.

City crews spent the day patching the section of pipe that burst, leaving 12 homes without water for much of the afternoon.

The city plans on replacing a mile of the pipeline parallel to HWY 80 but it could take up to five years before the project is started.

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Courthouse Holding Cells Flooded

HOLDING cells for awaiting trial prisoners at the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court have been flooded, posing a health risk for prisoners and court orderlies.

The cells were flooded on Tuesday afternoon after the court experienced water cuts.

When water was turned back on, the already leaking pipes could not take the pressure and burst.

The room that prisoners use for consulting with their lawyers, the kitchen and the court orderlies’ administration office were all flooded.

All are on the ground floor of the court house.

Court was temporarily adjourned on Wednesday as cleaners mopped up, while prisoners were held at the Mdantsane police station. All trials were postponed.

When the Daily Dispatch visited the cells yesterday , prisoners were standing in puddles of water, while court orderlies searched for cells not as badly flooded to place more awaiting trial prisoners appearing in court.

Warrant Officer Zoyisile Mnyanda, who is in charge of the court orderlies, said the ground floor of the court had been flooding for the past five years with little action from court management.

He said that as a result court orderlies and prisoners had to contend with mosquitoes breeding inside the cells and office.

The ground floor was also very cold, he said.

“These water pipes leak because they are old and need to be changed,” he said.

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Burst Pipe Floods Home

A DREAM holiday turned into a nightmare when a Chatteris woman returned home to find her house flooded.

Sarah Huebler was horrified to discover water pouring through her Clare Street home after she came back from Goa, where she had been holidaying with partner Andy Burley, from Ramsey.

A further leak later sprang up outside the house and was reported in last week’s Citizen, as it had been running for almost three weeks. Sarah and Andy came forward to tell their story after seeing the article.

The leak was discovered after the couple had spent a mammoth nine-and-a-half hours making their way from Heathrow Airport in the snowy conditions that greeted them as they arrived home on February 4.

Andy said: “We had to sleep on the motorway because conditions were so bad. Then we got to Sarah’s house and found a pipe had burst in the loft. It was a mains pipe, so the water kept going. The only things salvageable from the house were a table and four chairs. Everything else was ruined.”

Sarah’s parents had been to the house to turn on the heating just before they were due to land and things had been fine. It’s thought the pipe burst not long after they left, due to the freezing conditions.

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Attorney General's Office Flooded

A Phoenix building that houses the office of the Arizona Attorney General has been evacuated after a water pipe exploded, flooding the second floor of the building.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Tom Horne says a pipe in a bathroom exploded Tuesday morning, leaving about two inches of water on the floor.

Spokeswoman Amy Rezzonico says it was dangerous to staff and there are concerns about the quality of air inside.

Images provided by Horne's office showed what appeared to be broken ceiling tiles that fell to the floor after water soaked the ceiling.

Rezzonico says no injuries were reported.

Information on the cause of the pipe burst was not immediately available.

Rezzonico says about 200 to 300 people were evacuated. She says staffers can work out of another office.

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Burst Pipe Floods Hair Salon

The fire brigade were called to a hairdressers today, after a burst pipe in the property above flooded part of the salon.

Harmony Hair and Beauty, on the corner of Shenley Road and Drayton Road, Borehamwood, was flooded after a pipe burst in the boxing club above, and was left without electricity and water.

Siobhan Rosier, who owns the salon, said: “My neighbour phoned me at about 10.30am and told me they could hear water in down the back of the building.

“I came to the salon to check it and the hallway at the back was just full of water but luckily none got into the main part of the salon.

“I just hope the water will stop soon and so I can trade tomorrow. I need the water and power for by business and I can’t afford to be closed tomorrow.

“I’ve got customers relying on me and with it being Valentine’s Day; there will be a lot of ladies disappointed if they don’t open.”

The leak was the result of a broken pipe located in a boxing club above the salon.

The fire service were called to the scene and had to break into the club though the window at the rear of the building because the owner could not be contacted.

The fire service found the leak and stopped the water running, but Mrs Rosier has been told that the dripping will continue for a possible 24 hours.

Inside the boxing club was there was damage to kitchen where the pipes burst, but the club is remaining open while repairs are made.

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Ceiling Collapses After Pipe Bursts

A BEDROOM ceiling collapsed after a frozen water pipe burst today, devastating a High Wycombe house.

Firefighters were called Hatters Lane today at about 1.15pm after the resident returned to discover her home was flooded.

An inch of water covered the entire ground floor and the remaining ceilings upstairs which had not collapsed were straining under the pressure.

It appears to have been caused by a pipe in the loft and the house was unoccupied when it happened.

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Burst Pipe Shuts Down Primary School for Day

Children at Pewsey Primary School were given the day off today after a burst pipe left quite a lot of the school flooded.

Parents learned on local radio this morning that the school was closed for the day because of the damage caused by a burst pipe in the boy's toilets.

A member of staff told the Gazette: "We have had to close because of a burst pipe in the boy's loos and the headteacher Nicola Gilbert says there has been quite a lot of damage.

"At the moment we do not know how long we will be closed and we have plumbers here at the moment fixing the burst pipe."

The spokeswoman added: "We hope to know later today if we can re-open tomorrow."

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Small Flood Damages Iowa University School of Music

Six pianos belonging to Hancher Auditorium and the University of Iowa School of Music were damaged in a small flood early Tuesday morning.

Ten pianos — seven from the School of Music and three from Hancher — saved from the 2008 flood were being stored in a rental space at 209 N. Linn St. The inner workings of the pianos received the most damage as water came through the upstairs ceiling, UI spokesman Tom Moore said.

Five pianos from the School of Music were damaged including a severely damaged 1979 Steinway Model D, Moore said.

"It was truly the gem of the collection," Moore said, and the piano would cost roughly $120,000 to replace.

Moore said a restoration specialist will be hired to see if the piano can be salvaged.

The suspected cause of the flood, which only produced around an inch of water on the ground floor, was a burst water pipe, Moore said. An Iowa City police officer discovered the flooding at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

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Burst Pipe Floods New Hampshire Library

A burst pipe affected by sub-freezing temperatures over the weekend has left about two inches of water on the floor of the public library in North Hampton, N.H.

No books were damaged but carpets were waterlogged and there’s been some damage to ceiling tiles.

Town Administrator Steve Fournier tells the Portsmouth Herald the library could stay closed for up to a week.

The damage was discovered by cleaning crews Monday night.

Town Building Inspector Richard Maybe believes the wind entered the building through tiny spaces in the walls and caused the pipe to freeze and burst in the kitchen area of the Atlantic Area building.

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Sprinkler Pipe Bursts, Floods Office

Just as this year's General Assembly session was just getting into full swing, state Sen. Richard Colburn was forced by floodwaters to move to a temporary office in Annapolis.

Speaking Tuesday, Colburn, R-37-Mid-Shore, said a fire suppression system pipe collapsed Monday on the fourth floor of the historic James Senate Office Building. Colburn said the water pooled in the center of the fourth story before running down elevator shafts and coming through the ceiling of his third-floor office.

"Unfortunately, my office was probably hit hardest," he said.

Colburn said his chief of staff described the scene as starting out with water leaking down through the ceiling like rain. The senator said it kept getting worse, until eventually the ceiling collapsed and down came the deluge.

Colburn was thankful for the efforts of his staff members and those of other senators in trying to save what they could from his office. He said a line of people passed items out of his office to safety as the water started coming in.

"To me it's like a tragedy. But you have to put things in perspective. Nobody was hurt," Colburn said.

Colburn said two other offices near his were also damaged by the flooding, but not as badly. He said he has been given temporary space in the James building to use, but does not expect to get back into his own office for at least two weeks.

"We're doing the best we can. We're in a very small conference room on the first floor of the Senate building," Colburn said.

The senator said a company is already working around the clock to clean up the mess, using fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the offices. He said he will need a new ceiling, and the building's elevators will need repairs.

"But everyone should be taking the stairs anyway. It saves five minutes a day and its good exercise," Colburn said.

Colburn said it was lucky the flooding happened on a Monday. He said if it had been the Friday before, no one may have been around to notice for quite some time and he may have lost his computers, files and pictures.

The senator said he is most worried about his office's ability to keep up the high-level of constituent service he strives for. He said his regular phone lines have been rerouted to his temporary space and he was still able to get eight bills filed after the flooding.

"My main concern is to be able to provide good constituent service," Colburn said.

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Sprinkler Pipe Bursts, Floods Businesses on Route 106

A sprinkler pipe that burst caused flooding damage at three Route 106 businesses on Monday, a fire official said.

Firefighters responded to the Chili Head Barbecue Co. at 320 West Center St. at 1:26 p.m. Monday after receiving a box alarm, Fire Capt. Ken May said.

“They had a frozen sprinkler pipe that burst and it flooded out the restaurant,” May said. “It caused damage to the restaurant, to the dry cleaner and the nail salon next door.”

He said several inches of water flooded the restaurant after after the pipe, located above the ceiling, burst.

May could not estimate damages to the businesses. He said the restaurant would likely be closed for a few days for repairs.

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Pipe Burst, Floods Church

It wasn’t as bad as Noah’s dilemma, but local pastor Jack Hollis encountered a smaller flood when he arrived Wednesday night for services at the Christian Center Church.

After Tuesday night’s freeze, a pipe had burst under the baptismal pool, and sent two inches of water into the main sanctuary. Hollis found standing water in every nook and cranny when he arrived, and water was running out all the doors onto the ground outside.

Hollis said that, while he’s not thrilled about the situation, he’s also able to put it in perspective.

“We’ve got a mess here, no doubt about it, but this is nothing compared to what those people went through in Hurricane Katrina or in other crises we’ve seen people suffer through,” Hollis said. “Shellie (wife) and I looked at each other and we said, ‘yeah, we’ve got this stuff, but this is nothing like we’ve seen in other places.’ No one was hurt here, none of our electronic equipment appears to be damaged; the instruments and things were on a raised stage so they didn’t get in the water, so we feel very blessed.”

Hollis is using paid and volunteer labor to get the church back in shape to receive the congregation.

Calloway Carpet Cleaning owner Jason Calloway came out at 7 p.m. Wednesday and worked for hire until 4 a.m., just pumping the water out. Hollis said Calloway pump out about 850 gallons.

Church Deacon Gary Gochenaur brought his work crews from Marianna Truss and Marianna Metal Roofing to help unbolt pews from the floor Thursday so the ruined carpet could be removed. Hollis said Gochenaur hasn’t asked for any compensation for that help, but Hollis said he’ll likely offer to pay a day of salaries for his deacon’s crew or show his appreciation in some way.

Hollis said he feels doubly blessed to have an alternative gathering place available until the church is once again usable.

He’s not sure how long that will take, but said his congregation will meet at the New Life Family Church building for now. It is located at 4028 Lafayette St. in Marianna, and services there had coincidentally ceased a couple of weeks ago.\

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Several Roads Damaged by Pipe Burst

TWELVE households are picking up the pieces after a burst pipe sent water gushing through their homes.

Irene Harris and her husband Malcolm were among those assessing the damage this morning, after several feet of water cascaded through their homes in the middle of last night.

Mr Harris, 70, came downstairs to investigate the sound of running water, at around 5.30am, only to find the whole of the ground floor of his home under water.

He said: “I thought we may have left the tap on, but to my horror I saw what had really happened.”

Mrs Harris showed the Harrow Times the devastating damage this morning, as they picked through their ruined possessions.

She said: “We only moved in at the end of May, we were just getting the house sorted and had new carpets down and then this has happened.

“The grandchildren's toys are ruined, there are boxes that we haven't even unpacked and who knows what damage has been done to them.”

A thick layer of mud remains across the floors of the homes affected by the flooding – caused by a ruptured 12-inch pipe in Elms Road.

The flow of water gushing from the burst pipe was so powerful it went through the Elms Road houses, across the back gardens, and into the homes in Winston Close and Richmond Gardens where the Harrises live.

Mukesh Malam, of Elms Road, was woken in the middle of the night by the flooding, and found himself standing knee-deep in water when he went to investigate.

He said: “The water was gushing through the letterbox. I couldn't stop it and was scared to open the door because there was so much water.

“It was frightening and we didn't know what to do.”

Edward Davis, who has lived in Winston Close for the last 11 years, saw the torrent of water as he got up to get his morning newspaper at 5.30am.

He said: “The water was building up and building up, it really was like a river. It was unbelievable what I was seeing.”

Veolia Water, the firm responsible for the offending burst pipe, have apologised for the damage and had workers on site today trying to clean up and fix the problem.

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Burst Pipe Floods Basement

THE DOWNSTAIRS of a home was ruined when a burst pipe flooded an Ascot home on yesterday (Tuesday).

Windsor firefighters were called to the scene at 11.40am in Goaters Road where a pipe in a downstairs toilet had burst.

Firefighter Doug Maslen said: "The whole of the downstairs was flooded. We immediately turned off the main water supply into the house when we arrived and then started to pump out all the water.

"The wooden flooring had lifted and swelled."

A women, man and child were residents of the semi-detached house and the fire crew left the scene at 1.10pm.

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Pipe Burst Flood Basements, Closes Streets

A water main break in the Pilsen neighborhood has left several homes and streets flooded Tuesday morning.

The 36 inch water main ruptured near Cermak and Ashland around 8:30 Monday night.

The hole in the pipe is about three feet in diameter and crews are working to excavate the pipe and replace about 12 feet of it.

The large main carries water from one end of the city to another.

The intersection at 21st and Ashland has been temporarily closed due to the flooding.

The water also spread to the gym at Benito Juarez High School. Some local businesses had to shut down as well.

Classes at Juarez High School remain on schedule Tuesday despite the flood.

Tom LaPorte, a spokesman for the city's Water Department, said that it still would take some time to make repairs and that crews were closing off valves to stem the flow.

Many residents reported flooded basements.

"All my furniture is destroyed downstairs.. We're looking at maybe 3 to 3½ feet of water. We basically lost everything," said Walter Green."

"I live in the basement--unfortunately it's impossible to be there," said Derardo Nunez.

Some business owners closed their shops and complained of water damage. Marco Sarmiento, owner of Pilsen's Mini Mart said he was forced to close early. "It's definitely affecting my sales, (but) the main thing is to keep everyone safe," he said.

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Sprinkler Pipe Bursts and Floods Town Hall

The City of Southlake says Town Hall was damaged Saturday afternoon when a water sprinkler pipe burst.

The library and the Tarrant County Clerk and Tax Assessor/Collector all have offices on the ground floor of the four-story red brick building. The city's statement said the water was up to half a foot deep at its height.

The library closed early and will remain closed on Monday as a disaster recovery team mops up and takes stock of the damage.

No damage estimate was available. The cause of the leak was under investigation.

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Basement Flood Closes Food Bank

More than 2 feet of water flooded the storage warehouse of the Fayette County Food Bank in Uniontown, destroying at least $30,000 worth of food.

The food was destined to be distributed to 3,000 households in Fayette County as the December distribution for struggling families, said CEO James Stark of the Fayette County Community Action Agency.

"It`s never a good time but this is probably the worst time," Stark said.

The food bank`s main storage warehouse on North Beeson Avenue was flooded with 2.5 feet of water from Redstone Creek.

Stark said he hopes to reopen the food bank, which serves 49 food pantries throughout Fayette County, next week.

The warehouse and its office area were covered with water and mud.

Stark said the flood ruined six skids of food donated by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts who held a food collection drive. Each skid contained almost 30 boxes of food stuffed with canned vegetables and fruits, pasta and other nonperishable goods.

Elsewhere in Uniontown, the gravel under a Fay-Penn Railroad track washed out Tuesday night. South Union Township Supervisor Rick Vernon said workers were repairing the rail bed this morning.

A Fayette County Emergency Management official said there were no reports of injuries or rescues, but two businesses reported damages.

Mundel's Furniture on Connellsville reported that flooding in its basement caused some damage to inventory that was stored there.

The Auto Land Hyundai of Uniontown car dealership on Fayette Street reported its car lot was flooded.

"The waters are starting to recede now. Hopefully it's done, " Vernon said.

Vernon said the supervisors worked with the Hopwood and South Union volunteer fire departments Tuesday night to close Cinder Road, Redstone Furnace Road and a portion of Brownfield Lane for about three hours.

The roads are now reopened.

"We'd like to thank both fire departments for checking the roads and helping people pump out their basements all night," Vernon said. "They worked hard."

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Broken Pipe Floods Courthouse; Causes $500,000 in Damage

Flooding from a broken pipe in a Pasadena Courthouse bathroom has caused an estimated $500,000 damage.

Courthouse operations are continuing normally on Monday.

Fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian says 30 firefighters were dispatched to the six-story courthouse at 5:40 a.m. Monday when a fire alarm was activated by the flood waters.

It's not clear when the pipe ruptured but Derderian says the water may have been accumulating all weekend.

A second-floor bathroom sink pipe broke and flooded two floors. A first floor office and computers are damaged.

Damage is estimated at $250,000 to the building and $250,000 to the contents.

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Rihanna Puts House on Market with Extensive Water Damage

Pop star Rihanna has listed a Beverly Hills Post Office-area home at $4.5 million, substantially less than the $6.9 million she paid two years ago.

The listing describes the house as a "major fixer" with "extensive damage from moisture and water intrusion" at the roof, windows, doors and balconies. The home's water problems are the subject of a lawsuit the singer filed this summer in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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