It's going to be a long week for families and businesses trying to mop up water damage.
Last week’s powerful cold front froze pipes for multiple days and now the rising temperatures have led to those pipes bursting across North Texas.
From collapsed ceilings to inches of water on the floor and personal items ruined just a day after Christmas, scenes are playing out over the last 24 hours in homes and businesses.
The pain is especially being felt in many apartment complexes, as families in one Dallas apartment were forced out of their homes because of the flooding and had no idea when they'll go back.
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"My main concern is what's next? Where am I'm going to put my kids? Everything, it's just horrible,” said resident Charlotte Conner. “It was just a nightmare and my kids are scared to sleep because they think every ceiling is going to fall.”
Plumbing services manager David Lozano with Milestone Plumbing said it's all hands on deck for his company and just about any plumber you call in North Texas.
He says if you're trying to reach a plumber, be patient. You will be waiting. Be prepared to call a lot of people and make sure you're contacting a certified and legal plumber. You will need to ask for certification.
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"I expect wait times of maybe three days. We have people already scheduled through Friday. So it hurts sometimes when you pick up phone calls to tell them that,” he said. “So just be patient."
He said the big problem was that a lot of people left to go out of town during the Christmas weekend and didn't know what to do with their pipes. That lead to a really high number of bursts from homes that weren’t protected from the cold.
With Tuesday morning's frigid 20-degree temperatures and a rapid warm-up this week, be aware of more bursts as you use pipes that haven’t been used for several days – such as outdoor faucets or utility room pipes. Use care when trying to turn your water on.
"Have your tools ready, know where your valve box is so you can shut the water off,” Lozano said. “Have someone else there to see if something is running or leaking. Shut the water off whatever the case is,” he said. “Turn the water on slowly, then turn the water back off. That way you can see or hear anything."
The water shut-off is located inside a receptacle that could be located near your home just outside the perimeter of the foundation, depending on your neighborhood. In newer homes, it might be in your garage in the wall. You might need a key or wrench to turn it off. The irrigation system water shut-off is usually located near the street.
Lozano, who has his master plumber certification and has practiced for almost 25 years, said people will need to start thinking about the next freeze.
"Once this is over, do what you need to do to insulate your pipes to stay a step ahead. Because winter just started. And indications of this type of winter with this hard freeze, we don't know what's to come,” he said. "The checklist that I would have really pretty much -- if you have any type of pipe that is exposed and you've seen it or if anything has ever been repaired -- insulate it. If you know that you don't have insulation in your walls, try to do something about it. "
Also, take the time to search online for your city's water department phone number. Most have a contact number for emergency water shut-off, so they can help you.
