Many times, we do not think about certain things in life until they are not available. That could include electric, gas, food or even water. These are all things that most people count on each day to go to school or work, stay warm, travel in their vehicle or take a shower.

To say the past couple of weeks have been a challenge for many water and utility companies and their customers may be a major understatement due to the recent frigid temperatures and winter storms.

While water issues are a significant challenge and can be very frustrating, it is important for customers to remember the elements that are impacting the ability to diagnose or repair the issues. These things include large amounts of snowfall that impair the companies ability to determine where water line breaks are located and ultimately make the necessary repairs.

At the same time, it is important for these companies to work as diligently as possible to return services to customers as soon as possible and communicate with customers, both progress or setbacks. This can help dilute some frustrations if customers know what is going on.

Simply put, this is a trying time for the companies, officials and customers, but continuing to seek information and work to get things back to normal is priority No. 1.