A pipe that burst at the Langley Senior Resources Centre flooded the building forcing the facility to close Monday morning.
The damage is so extensive, the restoration company’s initial assessment is it could take a month to six weeks to repair all the damage.
“It looks like a war zone,” said executive director Shelley Wells. “It’s just awful. The whole kitchen, the dining room, the hall, all flooded.”
Wells said temperatures in Langley dipped to -10 degrees. She said it may have caused a pipe to break in the ceiling, gushing thousands of litres onto the main floor below.
“Water was pouring out of the ceiling. Our equipment is damaged and we can’t use the kitchen at all.”
Much of the drywall will have to come out.
It’s the worst time of the year for this to happen, when so many seniors without family and/or friends rely on the company and social aspects the centre offers at Christmas time.
To that end, the centre will be shut down completely until Wednesday, but staff are hoping to open up a portion of the centre later this week.
“We can’t use the kitchen but we could still serve apple cider, coffee and tea in the lounge. We have to make the best of it,” said Wells.
The Langley seniors centre has had its share of hard times over recent years.
An arson fire caused extensive damage to the building, shutting it down for months in April 2008.
Last year, someone broke into a storage unit and stole all the crafts and donations for the centre’s annual craft and sale.
Hundreds of Langley seniors rely on the centre for its recreation, adult daycare, outreach and social and meal services. The hall was also damaged where lots of events take place.
The Seniors Centre is at 20605 51B Ave. and can be reached at 604-530-3020.
