WHITESBORO, TX - Last week's storm caused temperatures to drop below freezing and stay there for several day resulting in plumbing damage for many Texoma households. Now cleanup crews are scrambling to keep up with demand.

The winter storm that blasted through Texoma last week left many homes with frozen pipes that eventually burst. And companies like SERVPRO Cleanup and Restoration are working around the clock to clean up the mess.

"We started receiving calls on Wednesday and just non stop, like a call a minute" said Area Marketing Rep. Jennifer Davis.

Temperatures dropped below freezing early Tuesday morning and remained there until Saturday afternoon. On a typical day SERVPRO will receive 4 to 5 calls but Davis says the company has received more than two hundred calls since Wednesday and that it's the length of the cold spell that caused all the damage.

"The reason why this freeze has made such a large impact on pipes is because the duration of time that the temperature was so low was so long."

If your home is water damaged SERVPRO recommends that you call a professional immediately and not try to tackle the problem yourself. But they say there are a few things you can do while waiting for help to arrive.

-Use a wetvac or a towel to dry the wet area as much as possible.

-Do not use your vacuum cleaner.

-Avoid using electrical sockets near the damage...and turn off circuit breakers for those areas if you can safely access the breaker box.

-And although waiting for help can be frustrating, they say it's important to remain patient. Help is on the way.

"Everybody's going to get serviced eventually. I know that people just have to be patient with everybody. With the restoration companies, the insurance companies, contractors. Everybody involved. But they will get serviced said Operation Manager Justin Hauck."

For a complete list of SERVPRO's water damage tips you can visit the Residential Services page on their website www.servproofshermandenison.com