Cleanup underway at west end hospital after flood

Days after the news broke that toilet repairs gone awry had flooded a section of the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton, hospital officials said the cleanup is underway, but it’s not clear how badly parts of the hospital were damaged.

A Covenant Health spokesperson told CTV News the hospital returned to full capacity in the emergency and surgical departments over the weekend, and the cleanup continues.

However, officials are waiting for a full impact report – which is expected to be complete later this week.

At that point, officials will find out the extent of the damages, and how long restoring the affected areas will take.

The 53 patients affected by the flood have been placed in other areas of the hospital, but Covenant Health said two temporary care units were going to be set up at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Current patients would not be moved there, the temporary facilities would handle any additional patients who would go to the medicine or mental health units at the Misericordia.

Dozens of elective surgeries had to be cancelled on Friday, after a toilet valve attached to a high pressure water line burst on the third floor, flooding the two floors below.

For a short time after the flooding, officials diverted ambulance service to the hospital to other facilities, however, officials said Saturday that had been lifted.