Cold weather leads to water main breaks, risk of frostbite
Posted Jan 14, 2020 1:07 pm.
Last Updated Jan 14, 2020 5:08 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – To say it’s cold in Calgary is an understatement.
An extreme cold warning is still in effect for the city and the entire province as windchills are hitting minus 40 degrees or colder.
RELATED: School closures and CTrain delays highlight extremely cold day
The temperatures pose several health risks, including frostbite, which EMS says can happen in as little as 10 minutes, the same amount of time for hypothermia.
Cold weather over the next number of days has been forecast for many parts of #Alberta . In addition to covering exposed skin & periodically seeking warm shelter if you need to be outside for an extended period, take a read on how you can protect yourself & others. #yourEMS pic.twitter.com/51RREt2NVB
— AHS EMS (@ahs_ems) January 8, 2020
“Hypothermia and cold-related injuries are very strong possibilities,” explained Dan Kulak with Environment Canada. “If you’re outside, cover-up, take a break if you can. If you’re really in an isolated area, if you’re working along, you really want to take some precautions and make sure somebody knows where you are.”
Although the extreme cold will remain for the rest of the week, Kulak says the weekend will bring some relief with temperatures returning to seasonal levels.
The cold weather has also led to several water main breaks in the city.
The latest was reported in the community of Windsor Park Tuesday morning. The City of Calgary says it usually takes around 48 hours for water main breaks to be repaired.
Several water mains have broken around the city affecting many businesses and homes. Almost all of the sites have water wagons available or on their way. According to @cityofcalgary, under normal circumstances it takes 48hrs for a water main to be repaired. #yyc #Calgary @660NEWS pic.twitter.com/EGrkF16g4W
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) January 14, 2020
Homeless shelters like the Calgary Drop-In Centre has taken in more people and say it is low on items of clothing. The centre has put out a plea on social media asking for donations of things like boots, gloves and toques.
With this deep freeze, we ran out of warm boots and are critically low on warm clothing like coats and sweaters. We could also use gloves, toques and new underwear. Can you help us #YYC? Donations can be brought to our shelter 24/7. Thank you in advance ♥️
— Calgary Drop-In Centre (@calgarydropin) January 14, 2020
The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is also facing a backlog in responding to broken down vehicles.
The latest wait times are about 12 hours for a tow and 10 hours for a boost.
