Local

Residents cleaning up after water pipe breaks due to weather

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Pamela and David Parker were trying to salvage what was left of their physical therapy business Wednesday morning after a water issue the fire department said can be blamed on weather.

"We have an entire loss. Our whole building is going to have to be gutted and re-done," said Pamela Parker, from Parker Physical Therapy.

The Parkers said the cold caused a sprinkler head to break, sending water from floor to floor. They say several businesses that were housed in the same building were also impacted.

"Every office was soaked with at least an inch of water," said David Parker.

The building they worked out of is not usable right now. The Parkers are looking for temporary space and hoping the water didn't ruin all their things.

"Our livelihood is of course seeing patients and the resources and equipment that we have," said Pamela Parker.

In Rock Hill at Brothers Air, Heat and Plumbing, the phones have been ringing non-stop since Tuesday morning when the extreme cold hit.

"By the end of the day we had more than 900 calls come in," said General Manager Duck Costner.

They expected 600 to 700 calls Wednesday. Costner said that on typical day they have 400.

He said that most of the technicians were dealing with frozen water lines, heat that's not working or pipes that have broken.

Costner said they hope to be all caught up on calls by Friday, knowing that customers are eager for relief.

"They want us there right away they are cold or they can't take a hot shower," he said.