2024-01-22 05:38:00
The arctic cold wave wreaked havoc on water supply and transportation in the United States (EUROPA PRESS)
Much of the United States continued this Sunday gripped by an arctic cold wave that even reached Texas and Florida, although the weather is expected to improve in the coming days.
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Crews in Memphis, Tennessee continued to work around the clock on Sunday to detect and repair burst pipes that had lowered water pressure in the city. Some residents have been without water for days, and the company’s 400,000 customers have been asked to boil their water before using it.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water CEO Doug McGowen said in a video posted on social media Saturday that he hopes to have an estimate by Sunday followingnoon of when water pressure will be restored.
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“Hold on a little bit,” McGowen declared. “Neighbors help neighbors.”
Some Memphis residents have been without water for days due to low temperatures (AP)
By Saturday followingnoon, the company had repaired 36 water fountains and more than 2,000 leaks in homes and businesses. It was expected that when temperatures began to rise on Sunday, more breaks would become evident. McGowen asked residents to turn off all faucets once temperatures rise, a move that would add 5 to 10 million gallons a day to the system and help restore pressure in pipes.
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Rhodes College in Memphis on Saturday began asking some students to return home and move others to hotels. Classes will be virtual Monday and Tuesday.
“We ask that you PLEASE DO NOT COME to campus on those days due to the situation with the water and the dangers it causes,” says the announcement from the educational institution.
“The faucets stopped working, and they told us not to use the bathrooms and the showers didn’t work properly either,” said one of the students, Sam Roth, who chose to return to his family in Nashville instead of staying in a hotel.
“It’s a little bit of a pain, but the university is doing everything it can to accommodate everyone,” he said. “I feel bad for all the people in the city who don’t have water and don’t have a hotel to go to.”
Much of the United States continued this Sunday gripped by a wave of arctic cold (EUROPA PRESS)
Bars and restaurants were using bottled water to serve customers. Some restaurants closed, while others modified the menu. Cafe Eclectic was open, but was not serving espresso drinks.
Memphis was the largest – although not the only – water system in Tennessee to suffer problems with its water lines due to the unusually cold weather. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that 28 water systems have asked citizens to boil water before using it.
The cold is also responsible for at least deaths in Tennessee, according to that state’s health department. Nationally, winter storms so far this month have caused 67 deaths, many from hypothermia or road accidents.
Freezing rain, sleet and strong winds will make travel particularly difficult in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said. The wind chill in Iowa will be minus 7 degrees Celsius (below 20 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts.
But the frigid temperatures — which began Friday — might ease somewhat in the coming days. For example, in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, temperatures above freezing are expected starting Monday.
“With no more Arctic air arriving from Canada, warming is expected for the central United States,” the weather agency said.
Still, the cold perplexed residents of areas unaccustomed to such conditions, such as Memphis, Tennessee, where some people had to boil water and others didn’t even have water following pipes broke. Temperatures are not expected to rise there until following the weekend.
At the beginning of this week, relief is expected in the low temperatures that have devastated the US (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
In western New York state, temperatures in the low 7s Celsius (regarding 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds of 10 mph (16 kph) were expected, along with possible snowfall.
Nearly two feet (60 centimeters) of snow fell in that area last week. The public came to volunteer at football stadiums to clear snow before games.
Erie County police on Sunday called on fans not to throw snowballs or invade the construction site for a new stadium.
On the west coast of the country, more freezing rain was expected in the Columbia River area in addition to freezing temperatures. Trees and power lines are covered in ice and might fall if more falls, the weather service said.
“Take care where you are over the next several days as the region tries to thaw,” the weather agency said. “Falling ice chunks will continue to be a hazard.”
(AP)
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