Some working outdoors in bitter cold for a second straight day

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- It was warmer Tuesday, January 7th -- even if just barely! We saw temperatures around -12 and -13 Monday, with wind chills around -35 to -40 -- and a Wind Chill Warning in effect. On Tuesday afternoon, we were seeing temperatures around -1 -- and the sunshine helped to alleviate a bit of the cold. For those who work outside though -- Tuesday was just another day spent dealing with the bitter cold.

With no school and temperatures below zero, many don't necessarily feel like going out -- so why not order a pizza?

The phone at Topper's Pizza in Bayside rang often on Tuesday afternoon.

"It's been super busy!" delivery driver Brendan Quirk said.

With schools closed for a second day, the lunchtime orders Tuesday became a lunchtime rush for Quirk.

"At the beginning of the day I was the only driver. We got pretty crazy out there," Quirk said.

Meanwhile, in Oak Creek, at the Water and Sewer Department, crews were trying to avoid calls for service by taking a proactive approach.

"We`re trying to identify things that could be a problem in the future or a small problem right now," Chuck Streubing said.

Streubing and Ryan Maughan were out surveying frozen creeks and under bridges for potential issues.

"We`re out looking for any leaks. The telltale signs are steam," Streubing said.

"We`re checking creek crossings. Water mains go underneath bridges and ditches, creeks, culverts, things like that. So we go and make sure nothing`s bubbling up or running water anywhere," Maughan said.

The two didn't find any problems Tuesday -- but the same couldn't be said on Milwaukee's north side for Kevin Zagrodnik with Milwaukee Water Works.

"There`s a broken water main and we`re trying to get it repaired so everybody has water again," Zagrodnik said.

This put the people repairing the break out in the elements for long stretches of time -- but there was a respite.

"We go into the truck to warm up a little bit. Come back out in insulated clothes. The insulation is a big part of it," Zagrodnik said.

Most working outdoors in the bitter cold say bundling up is key. They say it's part of the job, and being prepared makes it much easier to do.