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(Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Flooded with calls Freeze-and-thaw causes havoc across valley as pipes burst and water rushes in By Paris Achen Mail Tribune A severe cold snap over the long holiday weekend caused many water lines to burst across the Rogue Valley, taking a particularly hard toll on some public and nonprofit agencies. Rogue Valley Adventist School in Medford, Briscoe School in Ashland, the Jackson County Sheriff's substation in White City, La Clinica health clinic in Medford and several businesses sustained major damage when interior lines flooded classrooms and offices over the weekend. Among the businesses with significant water damage were the Best Western Bard's Inn Motel and Plaza Inn & Suites, both in Ashland, and Three Fountains Nursing Center in Medford. The county's emergency dispatch and the Medford Water Commission were flooded with calls. Many households and businesses went without water over the weekend, water commission officials said. Plumbers and restoration services were scrambling to meet the demand for repairing pipes and drying out flooded rooms. Advertisement "There will be a lot of insurance claims for Southern Oregon for this weekend," said Josh Hindman, Medford manager for Restoration & Building Services. "All of the plumbing outfits are buried in work. The other restoration companies are busy, too. We've had to refer calls to them because we can't handle them all." Temperatures fell to 17-18 degrees during early morning hours Saturday, Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures may have dropped even lower in certain pockets of the county such as Ashland, said weather service meteorologist Brett Lutz. The record low for the same period was 2 degrees, set Jan. 15, 1930, he said. On Sunday morning, custodians at Rogue Valley Adventist School found four elementary classrooms flooded with six inches of water from a broken water line in the ceiling. Six computers, two televisions, four printers, couches, library books and other items were destroyed. The ceilings and carpets will have to be replaced in all four rooms, said Principal Fylvia Kline. Kline estimated damage could reach $750,000, though an insurance adjuster had yet to confirm that Monday. A score of parent and student volunteers helped move library books, furniture and other items to other parts of school Sunday and Monday while dehumidifiers and fans hummed inside the damaged classrooms. Classes will resume today in the high school building's chapel and biology lab. "It smells really bad in here," said fifth-grader Caleb Allen as he stood in one of the damaged classrooms. "But since this happened, I wanted to help the school and help bring it back to what it was." Kline expected students would be displaced for about two months before returning to their classrooms in the elementary building. La Clinica's dental office was damaged from a burst water line that saturated the walls. About 7,500 square feet of office space in the Jackson County Sheriff's substation in White City was flooded with about two inches of water from a broken line. Temperatures are forecast to rise around the county tonight, with a low of 25 degrees predicted at the Medford airport, according to the weather service. Lutz said lows will hover around 20 degrees Wednesday and Thursday. "If your pipes are still frozen, realize that when they thaw you may have to suddenly turn off the water at the meter, so you need to know where the meter is," said Laura Hodnett, water commission spokesperson. During freezing temperatures, experts recommend leaving the cold water trickling through faucets, especially at the farthest points from where the pipe enters the building, to prevent water lines from breaking. Another precaution is to leave heaters on even when a building is unoccupied. Ideal inside temperatures are 60 to 65 degrees, they said. Reach reporter Paris Achen by calling 541-776-4459 or [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com