CONNECTICUT, USA — Plunging temperatures affect people in various ways, whether you have a home or are unsheltered. With wind chills expected to make it feel like single digits over the next several days, it can threaten your property and even your life. Which is why the state has activated its Severe Cold Weather Protocol.
“I’ve seen houses totally ruined,” said Tanner Niemirowski, a plumber for Ted’s Plumbing and Heating.
He knows all too well the havoc the cold can wreak on your home.
“The biggest thing is obviously, frozen pipes,” said Niemirowski.
Niemirowski went inside the Caron household where he found pipes lacking critical insulation.
“Insulating up closer to this outside wall wouldn’t be a bad idea. Whether it’s pipe insulation or just getting some insulation along the sill,” advised Niemirowski.
Advice on how to avoid frozen pipes includes leaving a little bit of water running, allowing heated air to circulate in your cabinets, leaving the heat no lower than 55 degrees and closing your foundation vents. And don’t forget to drain those outside spigots.
“Shut off the valve and then open up the outdoor portion. That’s going to relieve any outdoor water that’s left in there,” said Niemirowski.
But let’s also not forget there are roughly 4,000 people in CT who are not fortunate enough to have a home.
“It’s really hard to be outside right now. For anyone,” remarked Sarah Fox, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness CEO.
For those people, even finding a bed is a challenge.
“In some communities, I’m hearing about people being turned away because there is just not the capacity that is needed,” said Fox.
She said that tonight about 250 people will instead be sleeping in a tent or encampment, including 30 kids.
“We're in the middle of an affordable housing crisis,” said Fox. “People are falling into homelessness very quickly and it’s really hard for any citizen across the state to find affordable rental rental and so for people living paycheck to paycheck they are the people who we see fall into homelessness in addition to our elderly.”
The CCEH will be asking lawmakers for another $ 5 million annually to ease the winter shelter surge. But there are also resources available now. The United Way’s CT 211 line is standing by 24/7 to help people avoid the risk of frostbite, hypothermia, or death.
“Our job at 211 is really to work with each caller who is seeking shelter to ensure that they find somewhere safe and warm to go," Tanya Barrett of United Way 211 said.
The United Way 211 said that despite the limited shelter capacity in Connecticut, they can get help for everyone who needs a place to stay. They told us these frigid temps have led to an increase in demand for their services with 800 callers last night alone.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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