ST. LOUIS – As the arctic blast hammers the region, pipes are freezing, car batteries are dying, and St. Louisans are trying to stay warm.
It’s safe to say that Mother Nature has left her mark.
Dylan Connell, a service technician for Mr. Rooter and Kirkwood Plumbing, said they have received 18 emergency calls so far about frozen pipes and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“The extreme cold is when we see a lot of calls come in. Just devastating calls,” he said. “I go to see. There’s a lot of pipe bursts when it gets really cold.”
Connell responded to Charlotte Perry’s home, west of St. Louis, after her kitchen faucet froze.
“Close to an exterior wall, so if it’s not insulated good enough, it’s going to get frozen,” Connell said.
Perry said she moved into the home within the past month.
“I tried the faucet this morning and it was like a tiny drip and then nothing,” Perry said.
Perry still has water in other parts of her home, but it still makes her concerned.
“I’m worried to leave the house in case there’s a leak or a burst somewhere. It’s very nerve-wracking,” she said.
Connell said calls for service will only increase in the coming days, but the second punch comes when ice turns back to flowing water.
“It needs to be monitored so the pipes don’t burst when they do get unthawed,” he said.
