67 deaths have been blamed on icy weather in the U.S
Repairing Broken Water Mains and Leaks at the Memphis, Tennessee, Utilities Over the Last 24 Hours and a Measure to Help Maintain Water Pressure
The Tennessee Department of Health says that at least 25 deaths are attributed to the continued cold weather. At least 67 deaths have been claimed by winter storms across the U.S. this month, many of them involving road accidents.
On Sunday, crews in Memphis, Tennessee, continued to work around the clock to find and fix broken pipes that were causing low water pressure throughout the system. Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and CEO Doug McGowen told reporters Sunday afternoon that crews are making progress and he expects most of the 700,000 people the utility services to have water restored over the next 24 hours.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and CEO Doug McGowen is planning to post an estimate of when the pressure will be restored on Sunday afternoon.
As of Saturday afternoon, the utility had repaired 36 broken water mains and more than 2,000 leaks in homes and businesses. As temperatures began to rise above freezing on Sunday, more leaks were expected to become apparent. McGowen asked residents to stop dripping faucets once things warmed up, a measure that would add 5 to 10 million gallons a day to the system and help restore water pressure.
The Fire Department in Mason, Tennessee, for a Class of 21st Graduation, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree
Students at Rhodes College were sent home to Memphis on Saturday, after being unable to return to hotels. The school was planning virtual classes on Monday and Tuesday.
Sam Roth is a junior majoring in politics, philosophy and economics who drove back home to Nashville rather than staying in a hotel where he would still be required to boil water.
“Our faucets stopped working, and they said not to use any of the restrooms on our floor, and our showers were not working very well either,” he said of the situation in his dormitory.
“It’s a little annoying, but the school’s doing everything they can to accommodate everyone,” he said. “I just feel worse for the people that are without water in the city that don’t have a hotel they can go stay at.”
The fire department in Mason warned residents on Saturday that they would have a multiday water outage. The fire department said water crews were working all night to fix leaks.
The fire department said in a post that the water crews were doing everything they can to repair leaks. The department said that there remains enough water pressure to operate fire hydrants if they are needed for firefighting.
The Columbia River Gorge and Big Surroundings are going a little bit treacherous with sleet, wind gusts and freezing rain forecasts
Elsewhere, freezing rain, sleet and high wind gusts later Sunday would make traveling in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma particularly treacherous, the National Weather Service said. It felt like it was minus 20 degrees in some parts of Iowa.
The weather service said that there will be a steady warm-up in the mid-section of the country because there won’t be another replenishment of cold air from Canada.
There is a chance of snow in western New York where the Buffalo Bills will play the Kansas City Chiefs in a home playoff game on Sunday. Hundreds of people showed up on Friday and Saturday to help shovel snow out of the stands for a second week in a row to make $20 an hour.
The Columbia River Gorge was forecast to remain near or below freezing through at least Sunday night, as more rain was predicted on the West Coast. Trees and power lines already coated with ice could topple if they get more, the National Weather Service warned.
“Stay safe out there over the next several days as our region tries to thaw out,” the weather service said. Falling ice will be a hazard as well.
There is a chance of up to 2.5 inches of rain across the area’s foothills through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rain forecast for Southern California on Sunday and Monday prompted the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management to issue an evacuation warning near Topanga Canyon effective through Tuesday morning due to possible mud or debris flows.
Cold Weather in Mississippi: The New Hampshire Ski Jumpers, Snowboarders and Water Commissioners in the Vicinity of Killington, Vermont
Young ski jumpers in New Hampshire were brave enough to compete in the cold despite the fact that it was a single digit temperature. But 23 skiers and snowboarders had to be rescued in frigid temperatures on Saturday after becoming lost in the backcountry in Killington, Vermont, police said.
There have been 11 deaths in Mississippi related to the cold weather, according to the Emergency Management Agency.
The mayor acknowledged in an interview with WMC-TV that the town has had water issues in the past due to a system that “nobody took care of for a long time” and is need of updates.
The restaurants and bars served customers with bottled water. Some restaurants remained closed, citing the water issue, while others had a modified menu.
“If we remain on this very positive path, and we are on a positive path, I believe that by Wednesday we will have pressure sufficient for us to take samples of our water system,” he said. Assuming good results, we think that the boil water advisory will be lifted on Thursday.
The US’ Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) has said it expects to restore water pressure to most of its 7 lakh customers over the next 24 hours. MLGW has repaired 36 broken water mains and more than 2,000 leaks in homes and businesses as of Saturday. On Saturday, MLGW had warned residents on Twitter that they would have a multi-day water outage.