Streator | Extreme cold and water pipes can be a bad combination. That was case Thursday (January 22) at Streator Baptist Camp when a water pipe in the kitchen ceiling froze and then burst creating a cold, wet, and costly mess for the camp.
As a major winter storm expected to stretch more than 2,000 miles across the U.S. approaches this weekend with the potential to affect more than 235 million people in over 40 states, it brings with it dangerously low temperatures and the possibility of frozen water pipes. Churches that routinely turn their thermostats down while their building is not in use may be especially vulnerable.
IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams was recently at meeting with Gearhart Church Insurance Group where they discussed the costly repercussions of not preparing property for extreme cold and snow. He reminds church leaders going into the weekend, “Simply turning up the heat in your building and allowing more heat access to pipes on exterior walls can make a big difference.”
Brotherhood Mutual has a free “Cold Weather Maintenance Checklist” that you can download to help keep your church building safe this winter. It also provides a free weather alert text service.
The storm is forecasted to bring sleet, freezing rain, snow, and dangerously low wind chills which could cause prolonged power outages and dangerous travel conditions. Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have joined their counterparts in several other states in being placed on “standby” status to prepare to serve in its aftermath, and many churches are already making plans to cancel or alter their weekend services