NJ Plumber Drives 22 Hours To Texas To Help People With Winter Storm Damage

Texas isn't exactly Hawaii but as states go, it's a relative stranger to wintry weather.

And so, when a major winter storm and cold snap struck Texas, countless homeowners suddenly had huge problems on their hands. Some are dealing with mind-bogglingly huge electricity bills, some lost family members due to the cold or to attempts to stay warm, and some face significant property damage because their homes simply aren't built to withstand extended cold temperatures.

While relief has been hard to come by, Texans can at least rest assured that there are other Americans out there who want to help. In one case, that help has come all the way from New Jersey.

Andrew Mitchell simply saw a need and wanted to help out where he could.

Mitchell's wife, Kisha Pinnock, has a sister who lives in Houston, so they knew that many homeowners in Texas faced weeks-long waits for help with plumbing, as local plumbers were slammed with calls. Moreover, the state's plumbing supplies were in high demand, further complicating repair efforts.

So, Mitchell, Pinnock, their 2-year-old, and Pinnock's brother, Isaiah, who works as Mitchell's apprentice, loaded up the company van with $2,000 worth of supplies and hit the road.

Twenty-two hours later, the crew arrived in Houston and almost immediately, they set to work.

And, sadly, there was no shortage of people in need of Mitchell's help.

"By the time we got here there was already about four or five jobs lined up from my sister, and we just hit those first and then everything after that has really just been referrals from like the initial customers, like their friends and family," Pinnock told CNN. "Since we've been here, it has really been nonstop."

Between Sunday and Tuesday, Mitchell and Isaiah completed 13 jobs.

One customer, Dedrick Dock of Spring, Texas, had had to relocate his family to a relative's place for over a week after a pipe burst in his garage. He had tried 15 different plumbers, all of whom were too busy to take on his work, before getting in touch with Mitchell.

"We had to relocate for over a week because we needed to get someone out there," he told CNN. "And of course, with the plumbers here they were already overwhelmed with the work that was going on."

At another stop, Mitchell and Isaiah helped a homeowner with a leak behind their dishwasher.

But everywhere they went, the story was the same: insulation just couldn't handle the cold, water inside the pipes froze and expanded and split the pipes, and when it thawed, the water leaked, causing considerable damage.

In one house, pipes had burst "in at least 4 places," leading to a ceiling collapse.

Unfortunately, Mitchell and Isaiah have been much busier than they expected to be.

So although they expected to just stay and work for a week, they've decided to extend their stay in Texas for another week beyond that.

"Andrew and Isiah — Isiah has been a huge helper, Andrew has been teaching him a lot, they have been getting busy and getting to work and we are really excited and thankful that we could be a blessing to other people," Pinnock told WABC.

h/t: CNN

Filed Under: