I thought I read that the problem was that when the electric grid started rolling blackouts, the power to the water pumping stations went off. When the pumps didn't run, the water stopped moving throughout the system and taps open or not, there was no way to keep the pipes from freezing. Did I misread it?There’s a difference between letting the water drip and letting the water run. I grew up in Illinois where we had winters with weeks of weather at 0 degrees and below, in a home without insulated pipes and our pipes never froze or burst.