Burst pipes at animal shelters in Hampton Roads disrupt water access, spur call for donations

Two animal shelters in Hampton Roads are gathering donations after winter weather impacted pipes and boiler systems in their facilities.

At the Norfolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a major leak above the facility’s boiler caused the shelter to lose access to water throughout the building and heat in the dog kennels, according to a Facebook post from the shelter. Significant issues when reengaging the boiler ultimately required a smoke investigation by the the Norfolk Fire and Rescue. Water has been restored to the building, and the animals are safe.

Over in Virginia Beach, issues with the pipes at the SPCA facility have prevented staff from doing laundry for the past few days, but water has been restored to the building.

Now, both groups have reached out to the community for donations to help with the issues. Norfolk SPCA is taking donations of towels and blankets at its doors at 916 Ballentine Blvd., or community members can donate money online by visiting norfolkspca.com/donate. Donations for the Virginia Beach SPCA will be collected at its location at 3040 Holland Road or online at vbspca.com/donate/. Virginia Beach SPCA is also currently taking donations specifically to help with repair costs to its pipes. According to a Facebook post, about $7,800 is needed to cover the cost.

Over the past week, freezing temperatures have caused infrastructure issues for local facilities and residents. At Newport News City Hall, a valve in the HVAC system froze and malfunctioned, causing water to flow down through the top several floors of the building. Over the weekend, when extreme winter weather brought high winds and freezing temperatures to the region, local power crews completed hundreds of work requests to restore power to residents.

The Virginia Beach SPCA will resume normal business hours on Wednesday and boiler issues at the Norfolk SCPA will be resolved “over the next several days.”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com