N.S. schools damaged after pipes burst in freezing weather to reopen Tuesday

Cleanup crews were busy Monday trying to dry out homes, businesses and schools damaged as a result of pipes bursting during a weekend of frigid temperatures and high winds across Nova Scotia.

In the Halifax area alone, 11 schools suffered damage with three severe enough to cancel classes on Monday. But the Halifax Regional Centre for Education says classes will resume on Tuesday at Caledonia Junior High, Portland Estate Elementary and Upper Musquodoboit Elementary.

Jennifer Rodgers, communications manager at the Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education, said the region also plans to reopen three of its schools that sustained damage over the weekend.

"Our operational services team has been working hard to get the spaces ready," Rodgers wrote in a e-mail to CBC News. "The damaged pipes and saturated ceiling tiles have been repaired at all three locations, and the remaining water has been cleaned up."

Classes were cancelled at Enfield District, Maple Ridge Elementary and West End Memorial because of water damage.

Sydney Academy was also closed Monday as a result of water damage in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education (CBVRCE) and it will remain closed on Tuesday. 

Inverness Education Centre was also closed Monday and Tuesday after a pipe burst over the weekend due to the cold weather. 

"The leak was isolated but unfortunately left a significant portion of the building with little or no heat," Strait Regional Centre for Education spokesperson Deanna Gillis told CBC News in an e-mail. 

"Operations staff is continuing with boiler repairs today. At this time, classes are expected to resume [Wednesday].  We will follow our typical cancellation procedures to notify families [Wednesday] morning, if required."

Crews busy with repairs

"Classes are cancelled for Sydney Academy, tomorrow, Feb. 7 due to ongoing cleanup from this weekend's water damage," according to a CBVRCE news release. 

Inverness Academy in the Strait Regional Centre for Education was closed Monday. No information was available about the state of repairs or how soon classes would resume.

The sudden cold snap, high winds and then rapid thaw kept crews from System Care Cleaning and Restoration busy. The company operates out of eight locations across the province, including Halifax, Sydney and Yarmouth.

Company president Bernie Dunlap said more than 150 of his employees were on the job Monday trying to dry out buildings that suffered water damage.

"Because of the cold temperatures — minus 40 for probably 40 hours — there was a lot of pipes that froze," Dunlap told Maritime Noon host Brett Ruskin. "Commercial buildings, residential, schools."

"We've been on the go since three o'clock Sunday morning."

Insurance claims

The Insurance Bureau of Canada, a national organization that represents private home, auto and business insurers, received a higher call volume because of the cold snap, but wasn't sure if that would translate into higher claims, according to Gloria Haydock, the organization's manager of consumer and industry relation in Atlantic Canada.

"Because people were expecting it, people paid attention. There were a lot more plumbers that were busy over the weekend helping to thaw out pipes," said Haydock. "If they were successful and the pipes didn't burst, there may not be a lot of claims."

She said it would likely take a week to know whether a greater number of people will file claims.