Frigid Temps Take A Bitter Bite Out Of Maryland

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Maryland continues to feel the lingering effects of the snow and frigid temperatures.

Derek Valcourt has more on the problems the cold is causing.

It's having an impact on everything from our houses to our cars to the entire power grid.

Around Maryland furnaces are working in overdrive, which means companies that fix them when they break down are busy, too.

"We're working from 8 o'clock until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning," said Horace Griffin, Michael & Sons Services.

Other frigid side effects are water pipes bursting at alarming rates.

"You see it right here just shooting out of the top of that half-inch pipe? That's just coming from cold air coming inside of there. The roofing is here. The cold air's coming in."

Kathy Rech is one of thousands who woke to a home full of water in the middle of the night.

"You know, it's just a mess. And now we are going to have to have people come out and dry me out," she said.

The freeze is also affecting some cars. When it gets this cold, many engines won't turn because the batteries are dead.

That kind of cold even has emergency assistance crews patrolling the highways for stranded drivers, offering help and an end to the two hours drivers like Brandon Ross spent stuck.

"He was great. He got here, he changed it less than fives minutes. I'm on my way now," Ross said.

The weather is creating more work for city DPW crews as well, as the freezing ground shifts to rupture water mains that feed entire neighborhoods.

The need for heat is also placing a strain on the power grid that serves the entire mid-Atlantic. Power companies are now calling on customers to conserve.

The company that operates the power grid is asking people, if at all possible, don't use any powered major appliances until after 9 p.m. Thursday. They're also asking to conserve again Friday between 6 and 9 a.m.

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