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Temperatures in Calgary this week rivalled Antarctica — a barren, ice-covered, virtually uninhabited frozen landmass — and yet the majority of us still had to trudge to work and go about our daily lives.

The polar vortex caused CTrains to break down, car batteries to die and pipes to freeze.

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It has been, in every sense, a nightmare for vulnerable Calgarians in need of warmth and shelter. And for residents fortunate enough not to have those worries, the week-long deep freeze put patience to the test as it doled out so much random misery.

Take, for example, Andrea Zurawicz’s day on Tuesday when she woke up to frozen pipes and a car that wouldn’t start. With two young children, it was a hassle, but her husband was able to grab the necessities, including water, food and mixing formula from the local convenience store.

“We moved into this house over the summer so we didn’t know this could be an issue because it’s an older house,” said Zurawicz. “We’ll know for the next cold snap to run our tap for a while so there’s flow and the pipes are less likely to freeze.”