Several areas were flooded primarily on the first floor near the Emergency Department.
Duke Hospital officials say some Emergency Department beds have reopened. They hope to open more beds, the Emergency Department triage area and the waiting room this weekend.
Incoming emergency room patients arriving by ambulance are still being redirected to nearby hospitals. Patients who come in private vehicles are being treated in other parts of the hospital complex.
Flooding did not impact in-patient units or surgical suites located on other floors.
Questions About Discolored Floodwater
Duke officials said the pipe that ruptured at 11:40 p.m. was a chilled water line. This is used to supply heating and cooling to the building.
"While the water is not drinking water, it is clean water that is treated to prevent biological growth, corrosion, and scale," a statement from Duke University Hospital said Saturday. "As the water came down through the ceiling and walls, it picked up and carried debris. Our Occupational & Environmental Safety Office (OESO), Infection Prevention team and hospital leadership have been working together to ensure water recovery initiatives are undertaken safely and expeditiously."
Duke added that it hopes to resume normal operations "as soon as possible."