NJ plumber, family drive 22 hours to help Texas storm victims

A New Jersey plumber and his family drove more than 20 hours to Texas to help storm victims who otherwise would have had weeks without clean water.

Andrew Mitchell, whose dream of becoming a licensed plumber became a reality earlier this year, felt like “it was his calling” to help, his wife Kisha Pinnock told Fox News.

So Mitchell packed the family car in Morristown with thousands of dollars’ worth of supplies and prepared for the 22-hour journey with the goal of “making a difference.”

Andrew Mitchell and his family traveled to Houston, Texas on February 20 to help the storm victims.
((Kisha Pinnock))

On Sunday night, Mitchell, Pinnock, their 2-year-old son Blake, and Pinnock’s brother (who is Mitchell’s apprentice), Isaiah, made it to Houston.

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After the brutal winter storm in the Lone Star state ruptured pipes and millions of people had no access to clean water, there was a collective call from plumbers in Texas for help, Pinnock said.

Prior to her trip, Mitchell had come across numerous Facebook posts from plumbers urging non-government workers to balance demand.

“You rightly said, ‘If you’re an out of state plumber and can get to Texas, we really need you. We’re overwhelmed … we get 150 to 200 calls a day … it’s literally impossible,” Pinnock recalled that her husband had told her.

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From the moment they arrived on Sunday afternoon, Mitchell and Isaiah Pinnock were there, according to Kisha Pinnock.

Andrew Mitchell and Isaiah Pinnock assist storm victims in Houston, Texas.

Andrew Mitchell and Isaiah Pinnock assist storm victims in Houston, Texas.
((Kisha Pinnock))

Since then, they have seen customer after customer every day, visiting up to 10 homes a day.

Some days they would leave around 7:30 a.m. and work until around 2 a.m. the next day, she said.

“It’s like back to back,” she said. “You don’t stop”

Although plumbers have tried to repair water pipes that have been ripped from record low temperatures, it has been “impossible” to keep up with demand.

Kisha Pinnock said customers can barely get a plumber on the phone and when they do they are told the wait is three to four weeks.

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“It’s a little heartbreaking to know that when we get to people’s homes, people are so happy to even see a plumber,” she said.

Andrew Mitchell and his family traveled to Houston, Texas on February 20 to help the storm victims.

Andrew Mitchell and his family traveled to Houston, Texas on February 20 to help the storm victims.
((Kisha Pinnock))

Your customers were extremely grateful. One of them shared how relieved they were to know they didn’t have to drive an hour to their boyfriend’s house to shower.

“You don’t even really realize the little things that you have until you don’t,” she said. “You can’t cook, you can’t clean, you can’t wash your hands.”

Kisha Pinnock and her 2 year old son Blake.

Kisha Pinnock and her 2 year old son Blake.
((Kisha Pinnock))

Kisha Pinnock said her husband worked his whole life to become a plumber. He started his career with his father to get his own license and start his own company, Mitchell’s Plumbing & Heating LLC.

After the storm, he knew it was his chance to do something good.

That alone was “what motivated him to come in the first place,” she said.

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