Even Colder Temperatures Ahead For Marylanders

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you think it's cold now, just wait a couple of days. The cold is causing major problems for Marylanders.

Christie Ileto has more.

Jane Robinson did not expect to return from vacation and find this.

"You just turn it on and you hear these funny noises. Nothing comes out," Robinson said.

A frozen water meter means day one with no water.

"Homeowners are out of luck because we can't touch that meter," said Jamie Smith, Mr. Rooter. "They need to call the county and the county will make them wait until it thaws out."

Record-breaking freezing temperatures are wreaking havoc on homeowners across Maryland. In Columbia, a resident sparked a tiny fire when he took matters into his own hands.

"The homeowner was trying to thaw a frozen pipe for his pump using an electric heat gun," said Marc Fisher, Howard County Fire & Rescue. "It's safe to say the homeowner is very lucky."

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And with temperatures expected to plummet later this week, winter weather woes will only get worse.

"It's the expansion and the contraction of the water that is the problem and that's where the damage comes," said Smith.

Call volume for companies like Mr. Rooter have tripled. Even the city struggles to tackle over 1,000 calls in the last 48 hours.

"It takes them a little longer to do because we do have to do a lot of these now," Kurt Kocher, DPW said.

As for Robinson, she's finding ways to improvise, starting day two with no water.

"We have jugs of water," she said.

READ: Winter Weather, Wind Chill Advisories Issued

Crews are almost finished repairing a water main break on Eutaw.

Plumbers are advising that you let faucets drip water even when you're not using them.

Refreezing is expected Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Motorists are asked to leave extra time traveling Wednesday morning.