WSET.com - ABC13Water Damages R.S. Payne Elementary

Reporter: Melinda Zosh

Lynchburg, VA - Some teachers at R.S. Payne Elementary have been flooded out of their classes! A problem with the heating system caused pipes to burst, and it's affected all three of the school's floors. About 13,000 gallons of water left some educators displaced.

Kim Beuerle's lesson plan didn't exactly go as planned Monday.

"The tiles from the ceiling came crashing on the desk and all over the floor," Beuerle said.

And when principal John Blakely came into school, his senses told him something was off.

"And (I) came into an odor that hit when I opened the door, and heard a lot of water hitting the flooring," Blakely said.

Because the heating unit in a third floor classroom froze last weekend. Then, everything burst.

"Once it thaws out, everything breaks loose and you get a flood," Director of Facilities Steve Gatzke said.

"Panic, panic, then i assessed the damage, and then I alerted the teachers," Blakely said.

The flooding left five teachers and the school's librarian without classrooms and offices.

"The hardest part is trying to get back into a normal routine with the children, moving into a new classroom and not having things the way they used to be " fourth grade teacher Sarah Pierson said.

 And more than 60 library books are completely ruined,and the library is completely off limits for now.

"Oh, I was shocked, but you just kind of go with it, it's instinctive. you start dealing with a bad situation quickly," Librarian Beverly Blair said.

So the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation chipped in with school supplies and $2,000 for the teachers.

"So to have all of that destroyed was a tremendous loss, our hearts just went out to them," Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation Executive Director Jodi Gillette said.

And the students are doing their part, too.

"They've helped me design how they want the class set up. so they've been giving me suggestions and helping me move items and telling me where they think things should go," Beuerle said.

And some of the teachers will be able to return to their classrooms in the coming weeks. Other classrooms are out of use for the rest of the school year.

The community has come together to support R.S. Payne, mainly with gift cards. One parent alone donated about 600 dollars worth, and Heritage Elementary chipped in 300 dollars worth.