Cold weather causing headaches across metro

ATLANTA — Dozens of people sought shelter in Cobb County Wednesday ahead of plummeting temperatures.

Channel 2’s Chris Jose visited warming shelters across the county where he found some were already filled to capacity.

“We'll just operate, basically, 24 hours until the weather gets above freezing,” said Rachel Castillo, with MUST Ministries. “This is actually the fullest I’ve seen in a while. We've never had to open for a week straight.

Castillo said volunteers are rotating on 24-hour shifts because the warming station is open from sunrise to sunset.

[READ: More frigid cold weather ahead for metro Atlanta]

The dining room will be transformed into an overnight shelter for women and children at 6:30 p.m.

“Whenever the temp reaches 32 degrees or lower, MUST opens up our winter weather shelter and warming center,” Castillo told Jose.

William Archer is one of more than two dozen people Jose saw at MUST Ministries on Wednesday.

“Sometimes when it gets as cold as it is right now, it gets pretty difficult,” Archer said.

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Archer told Jose that he's been homeless for three years. The former steelworker now works full time at McDonald’s.

“I come here for my showers, my laundry, lunch and warming station,” Archer said.

Others come for the heat and to pick up blankets – as well as much-needed warm weather clothes.

MUST Ministries said it needs those donations to keep families safe.

“This is very interesting winter weather we're having this year,” Castillo said.

Only a handful of women and children chose to stay overnight in the shelter Tuesday.

But with temperatures expected to plummet overnight Wednesday, MUST Ministries is gearing up to take in more families.

Burst pipes causing headaches across metro

Plumbers across the metro are racing to fix pipes cracked by the freezing temperatures.

Melvin Davis spent the day Wednesday making chilly house calls, under the house, trouble shooting a common casualty of this cold snap -- water lines bursting because of ice.

“When it freezes, the pressure inside the lines is actually what breaks the pipe," Davis told Channel 2’s Tom Regan.

[READ: Southern, coastal Georgia receive several inches of snow]

Davis said he got the call early in the morning from a frantic Milton homeowner.

"She said she had water pouring into the basement and she was freaking out. But she was able to find the cutoff valve, comedown with a dry vac and get the water up," Davis said. 
 
Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside walls are most vulnerable to freezing. Pipe insulation can reduce the risk of water freezing inside.

Turning your faucets on slightly during sub-freezing temperatures also helps by making ice harder to form, and prevents pressure buildup in the line.

“You need to know where your exterior cutoff valve is,” Davis said, adding it is equally important to prevent flooding in the event of a burst pipe.

Cox Media Group