Ice-Cube New Mexico Thaws, And Reveals A Multitude Of Broken Pipes

Bruce sends news from that polar region known as New Mexico:

Hi Marc,

I think Taos area and Espanola were hit hardest. The NM gas company had shortage and just cut off gas to some of smaller communities who were hit hardest.

Angel Fire had lowest temp in country last week at 36 below!!! Yikes!

Oldtimers say it's been 30 to 40 years since these low temps hit the Duke City.

Last Thursday, it was just 4 degrees around 8 am but 13 below that nite.

...My landlady got a frozen pipe, but it didn't break last week. We used the 'ol trick of letting water drip out of faucet to prevent freezing and that worked for our apartment house.

Front-page of Albuquerque Journal today showed some people mad as hell in Espanola because gas company didn't show up for townhall meetings. They probably would have gotten run out of town like Mubarak. They're looking for damage reimbursement $.

...We're having a heat wave here today. It actually says 50 on my back porch thermometer.

Later,
Bruce

I was there for the 1970 cold spell. It was horrible. On the coldest day, the low was -24F in Corrales, and the temperatures were higher on Sandia Crest than they were in the city. We had to close off half the house because it was too dangerous to sleep there. We brought in a stray cat that was in danger of freezing.

One night, around midnight, the stray cat decided to attack our parakeet. The cat knocked over the cage as it attacked and the bird got out. What followed was a chaotic scene, as we piled out of sleeping bags, chasing a cat, chasing a dazed bird in semi-darkness. My sister caught the cat just as the cat caught the bird. The bird survived. Upset, we flung the cat outside.

Just so cold.

And yes, the pipes froze solid.

Here's what they have at KOB:

Governor Susana Martinez criticized New Mexico Gas on Tuesday saying the company did a poor job handling the state’s natural gas crisis.

This comes as utility workers continue trying to get towns like Espanola and Taos back online after many have been without heat for six days in below freezing weather and through two snowstorms.

The governor says by not giving advance notice to state officials about the seriousness of the problem, New Mexico Gas Company did not give fair treatment to those affected.

Hundreds of members of the New Mexico National Guard, Albuquerque and state police, and utility workers from all over the country continued to relight furnace, stove and water heater pilots in homes in northern New Mexico Tuesday.