Jamie Brown’s home flooded the morning of December 30 when a water pipe burst on Pickett Street. Photo by Sydney Kornegay

Jamie Brown awoke Friday morning to a strange gurgling noise, and looking around, saw water pouring underneath her doors and flooding her bedroom.

“At first, I thought it was coming from my bathroom,” she said. “But when I looked out the window at the street, all I could see was water. It scared me to death!”

Brown’s duplex was just one of several buildings damaged when the main water line beneath Pickett Street in Melrose Heights burst around 5 am Friday, December 30. A geyser of water blasted away a portion of pavement leaving a hole in the road, flooding the surrounding areas, and leaving nearby houses without running water. Stella Murphy, who lives on Pickett Street, said the flood also knocked out her heating system and telephone service.

Murphy’s home fared better than Brown’s neighboring duplex, however. Brown, a medical student at USC, said the rented duplex was flooded with almost six inches of water.

City workers had cleaned up most of the water by noon, but the carpet remained saturated with mud, and the kitchen floor was a large puddle. Brown said she has to sleep in a hotel until her home is repaired.

Columbia Water Distribution workers spent the morning repairing the break and in about three hours had the pipe repaired and the water running again. Chuck Lockey, a foreman with the City of Columbia, said a change in temperature due to a warm day followed by a cold night probably caused the pipe to burst. He says he expects the city to pay for damages done to houses and properties but is not sure.