Flooding from burst pipe displaces 2 families from Iron County Care and Share’s emergency shelter

Written by Jeff Richards
February 4, 2023

CEDAR CITY — A fire extinguisher sprinkler pipe burst inside the Iron County Care and Share emergency shelter on Thursday, temporarily displacing two families who were staying in rooms that got flooded.

Iron County Care and Share emergency shelter manager James Jetton talks about damage from a burst sprinkler pipe the previous afternoon, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Shelter manager James Jetton said he was attending a meeting a few blocks away just before 4:30 p.m., when he got word that a pipe had burst in the ceiling, causing part of the ceiling to collapse. The escaping water filled an adjacent bedroom with approximately 4-6 inches of water and seeped into other nearby areas.

Cedar City Fire Department personnel also responded to the scene, along with Care and Share staff members and other bystanders who pitched in to help. 

No injuries were reported.

A total of seven people in two families were displaced, Jetton said, adding that the room that had the most damage had two parents and a daughter about the age of 5, while the other room had two adults and two young girls around that same age.

Both families are safe and are being housed at a local hotel, Jetton told Cedar City News on Friday.

“They’re there, and they’re okay for now,” he said, adding, “It’s heartbreaking that, you know, they’re already homeless, and now everything that they own has pretty much been destroyed.”

In the more heavily flooded room, Jetton said that virtually all of that family’s clothes and other belongings had gotten soaked.

“The little girl lost most of her toys,” he said. “Her iPad was floating in six inches of water. Any of the electronics they had basically were ruined.”

“The other thing is, pretty much all their clothing is ruined,” he added. “It’s covered in debris from the ceiling and insulation and is probably not salvageable.”

A room that was damaged by flooding at Iron County Care and Share’s emergency shelter, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The emergency shelter, which is located at 244 W. 900 North in Cedar City, has enough bed space for 38 people, Jetton noted, adding that it is usually full.

“We have 10 additional hotel rooms off site that are reserved for us,” Jetton said. “Last night, when this happened, the shelter was full and we had eight hotel rooms occupied. So when those last two rooms went to the (displaced) families, we were at max capacity. If somebody comes to my door today, I have nowhere to put them.”

Jetton said that some water also made its way into the kitchen and dining areas.

“Unfortunately, it happened right as we were just getting ready to do dinner prep, so we had to go and get Little Caesars pizzas for everybody,” he said.

By Friday, however, things had settled down somewhat at the shelter, with numerous air blowers set up to help dry out the carpets and walls in the affected rooms.

Meanwhile, over at the hotel a couple of miles away, both displaced families are handling the situation well, Jetton said.

“They’ll be fine to stay there until we can get these rooms back in shape,” he said, adding that insurance adjusters are expected to come survey the damage within the next few days.

 “We’re going to have to see how extensive the damage is and then we’ve got to get the repair work done,” Jetton added.

Iron County Care and Share Executive Director Collin Wallace put out a renewed call for support from the community, saying in a written statement:

It has been a tough year for many people and the Care and Share has not been immune. We rely on grants and cash donations to do what we do for the community. Since the COVID pandemic, cash donations have not gotten back to where they were and we are operating month to month. If we don’t get a big injection of money soon, one of these upcoming months we won’t be around. We need the holiday spirit of giving to return in February!

Donations of food, clothing, and other needed items may be brought directly to the facility. Monetary donations may also be made online via the following link. For more information about Iron County Care and Share, visit its website.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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