While most residents stay indoors during dangerously cold temperatures, essential workers at Manitowoc Public Utilities are gearing up and heading out to ensure everyone stays safe and warm.When temperatures drop this low, the w ork doesn't stop for utility crews who know extreme cold brings unique challenges to the electrical and water systems.Watch the full broadcast here: Utility crews work through dangerous cold to maintain power, water in Manitowoc"You've heard of exploding trees, I'm not sure if that really happens but breaking of lines does happen," said Edward Kakes III, a senior lineman at Manitowoc Public Utilities.Crews are bracing for problems they know come with extreme cold weather conditions."Generally on days like today, a transformer will go down, they don't like the cold that much. Once in awhile we will get a line break," Kakes said.Kakes has been a lineman for 25 years and says cold weather puts extra stress on both the electrical system and the people fixing it."Frostbite is major," he said. "We do have outages that entail long durations outside, that we bring another guy with us, rotate out."While linemen look up at power lines, water crews are watching what's happening underground where frigid temperatures can lead to main breaks and dangerous conditions above ground."Obviously cold weather and water don't mix," said Shane Diederichs, water distribution foreman. "We are ultimately waiting for the inevitable main break."Despite the bitter cold, these crews say the work is worth it."Yeah I'm out there, my hands are frozen, but I'm doing something good for the community," Diederichs said."It's very rewarding, it's one of the reasons I've stayed being a lineman," Kakes said.Manitowoc Public Utilities says the best thing residents can do in extreme cold is prepare and be aware. If you hear or see something concerning with utilities, give them a call."This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy." ...read more read less