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Storm-damaged Victoria Hospital cancels Thursday, Friday surgeries
JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image
About a dozen fans were running inside the hallways of the Victoria General Hospital ICU on Thursday afternoon to assist in cleanup from water that ran into the hospital during a morning thunderstorm.
WINNIPEG — Damage from the morning’s thunderstorm has prompted officials at the Victoria General Hospital to cancel surgeries for a second day.
Surgeries were cancelled this morning when rainwater seeped through ceiling tiles onto a main floor hallway and then into a post-recovery room at the south Winnipeg hospital.
Gusting winds and rain greeted people going off to work this morning. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRES)
A vehicle drives through deep water on the corner of Irene Street and Clarence Avenue in the Fort Garry Industrial Park Thursday morning. (JUSTIN VANDENBERG / SUBMITTED PHOTO / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
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Winnipeg Regional Health Authority spokeswoman Heidi Graham said surgeries for Friday were also cancelled after engineers realized the damage was more extensive than first thought.
Four patients from an anesthesia post-recovery room were transferred to another area. Authorities asked for paramedics following the downpour in the event that patients had to be transferred to other hospital, Graham said, but that never happened.
There is not yet a dollar estimate on the damage caused by the storm. "There was six inches of water on the floor in the hallway and then it began to seep into the post-recovery room," Graham said.
Initial reports indicate that two of six roof-top drains were not functioning properly, she said.
The heavy rain this morning also caused significant drainage problems on Winnipeg streets. Underpasses flooded and some because impassable. Manhole covers blew off at some locations, including the Inkster and McPhillips area. Power lines came down at Centennial Street and Corydon Avenue and in the back lane of the 100 block of Blanche Avenue in Tuxedo.
And earlier this morning, nearly 900 residential customers in River Heights were without power from 4:30 a.m. to about 7:05 a.m. after a lightning strike on a hydro pole. Affected homes were located from Cambridge to Lindsay streets.
The rain, which included thunder and lightning at points, also drenched the thousands of campers staying outdoors at Bird's Hill Park for the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
Environment Canada is calling for more thunderstorms this afternoon with the risk of a severe one.
The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for sun and highs between 20 C and 24 C.
History
Updated on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 5:08 PM CDT:
Updated with information on cancellation of surgeries on Friday.
Updated on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 5:10 PM CDT:
Updated with information on cancellation of surgeries on Friday.
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12 Comments
Posted by: Guimish
July 10, 2009 at 3:04 AM
lol looks like an rental....mazda 6 maybe?
Posted by: whatisee
July 9, 2009 at 6:32 PM
I'm guessing that vehicle did not make it through. Looks like the water is coming up over the hood. One possible result of that is not only to stall, but to suck water in through the air intake and seize the engine. Say hello to thousands of dollars to repair, probably even have to replace the engine, not to mention water in the wheel bearings and elsewhere that is not meant to be submerged.
The only thing some people know about one of the most expensive things they own is where the key and gas go, and which floor pedal is which.
Posted by: marshal
July 9, 2009 at 3:47 PM
The rain was wild in Fort Garry. First time the sound of pounding rain ever woke me up. At least the basement's still dry.
Posted by: Chester
July 9, 2009 at 3:28 PM
singleparent:
It's the driver's fault for driving the car into the water. The water is up over the curb and clearly should not have been driven into. And based on the size of the wake the car is creating, he/she is driving too fast.
Posted by: skittles
July 9, 2009 at 3:14 PM
lol it's too bad you can't see the license plate! Who drives through water like that! :P
Posted by: Tammy
July 9, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Can someone explain why flat roofs are used on buildings here? How about even a little slant?
And why does Waverley always flood? No slant either, I guess. It's a fairly new street. How about more drainage holes in the underpasses? What a concept, eh?
Posted by: whatisee
July 9, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Hail here this morning. Was so much it was like a white sheet of ice. Thankfully it was only pellet size.
Posted by: BUBBA2000
July 9, 2009 at 1:55 PM
If CHESTER drives he should be denied .
Posted by: singleparent
July 9, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Curious, why do you think the claim should be denied. It's not the driver's fault that we got as much rain as we did.
Posted by: Sublime1
July 9, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Ferocious rain and wind here in EK this morning. Non-stop thunder and lightning for a while, with rain coming down so hard I could barely see across the street. But no serious damage here and the kids at the day care down the block are already happily playing in the puddles.
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