Pipe bursts, flooding Gilda’s Club cancer center in Royal Oak

Jan. 31--Water rushed Wednesday from ceilings and down the walls, soaking carpeting and floors on three stories before pooling in the basement.

The pipe that burst Wednesday at Gilda's Club Metro Detroit caused about $200,000 worth of damage, said Laura Varon Brown, executive director.Some programs will be temporarily relocated while repairs are made.

In the meantime, the center that has provided support for thousands of people touched by cancer is on the receiving end of some much-needed love.

"We've had dozens and dozens of calls," Brown said, with people offering everything from monetary donations to restoration services.

"We really appreciate it. Some of it is moral support. We had friends deliver cupcakes today."

Named for Gilda Radner, the comedienne from Detroit who died of cancer, the nonprofit Gilda's Club Metro Detroit offers networking, support groups, education and other activities for cancer patients, their families and caregivers. It's home is a 9,600-square-foot, Victorian-style house on Rochester Road in Royal Oak that was built in 1912.

At about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, the fire alarm began to sound.

"I heard one of the staffers yell 'I hear water,'" Brown said.

Brown rushed over and discovered water pouring from the third-floor ceiling in an office and storage area. She ran downstairs to shut off the water to the house, but the pipe that had frozen and then burst was part of a fire suppression system. Firefighters arrived and had to cut the bolts that locked a wheel-shaped spigot in a utility room to turn off the water flow, Brown said.

"(It was) probably a solid hour to an hour and a half of pouring, just thousands of gallons of water," Brown said.

When it was all over, there was four to five inches of water in the basement. On higher floors, the water had darkened the walls and caused floors to buckle.

Some programming will continue in the house, about half of which suffered some kind of damage, Brown said. Other programs will be held in the nearby Woodlawn Church. Updates and information will be posted on Gilda's Club Metro Detroit's website.

Funding is needed to help cover costs that might not be picked up by insurance, Brown said. The club will also need volunteers when it's time to move items back into various rooms once the repair and restoration work is complete.

"We have so many people in the community who want to try to donate their time and their services," Brown said, "and that's been heartwarming, for sure."

For more information about Gilda's Club Metro Detroit or to make a donation, visit www.glidasclubdetroit.org or call 248-577-0800.

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