Thirty-two residents of a long-term care home in New Glasgow, N.S., were evacuated earlier this week after a water main break in the basement of the facility caused significant flooding in one of the units.
Steve Scannell, the administrator at Glen Haven Manor, said in an email Thursday that all residents who were forced to leave the unit are safe and unharmed.
Some are staying at other homes and others were moved to vacant rooms at Glen Haven, but Scannell said there are a number who were relocated to common areas at the nursing home.
“We are actively working on a plan to find comfortable, longer-term living spaces for those currently residing in common areas,” he said. “We do not yet know the schedule for returning them back to the care unit.”
The facility bills itself on its website as one of the largest long-term care facilities in the province, with 200 beds.
It’s owned jointly by the towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Trenton and Westville, and was built in 1969, with an extension added in 1975 and substantial renovations in 1991, according to the website.
Town council in New Glasgow has been seeking a location to build a 144-bed replacement facility, but two separate proposals were scuttled last year following community concerns.
Scannell said the break was in a pipe running underneath the maintenance office. He said the cause is still being assessed and an engineering firm will be at the site Thursday.
Staff at the home “pulled together” when the flood happened, acting quickly and remaining calm, he said. He called their response “amazing,” and said the Nova Scotia government and “community partners” have been helping in the aftermath.
