Winter Storm Preparedness

BE PREPARED!

Contact a friend or relative out of town (far enough away so as not to be affected by the same weather) and ask him or her to be your family's emergency contact

Before the storm, be sure that every member of the family has a piece of paper on them that says, for example:

EMERGENCY CONTACT
AUNT LINDA IN NJ
732-555-5555

Call Aunt Linda before the wind starts blowing to tell her exactly where you are and what you are planning to do.

Be sure everyone knows that they should call Aunt Linda if they get lost or anything bad happens.

It's important that your main contact person is out of town, because local calls are more likely to be disrupted after a storm. Both ends of local connections are subject to problems.

Your clothing is the first line of defense against cold weather injury. Always dress in loose layers; air trapped between these layers will help insulate you. If you get too warm, you can remove a layer to prevent perspiration (which can cool you, leading to hypothermia). Your outermost layer should be water resistant, to keep the rest of the layers dry. Wear a hat-- up to half of your body heat can be lost through your head. Breathing fridgid air can harm lung tissue, aggravate asthma, and is simply uncomfortable; covering your mouth and nose with a scarf or face mask is very helpful. Also, mittens which fit snugly around your wrists but which are loose around your fingers are the best form of hand protection. Lastly, sturdy, water resistant footwear and warm socks are a must to prevent frostbite in vulnerable toes. It is important that you have on hand all of the basic supplies you will need to survive. You should have enough of these supplies to be able to sustain yourself for at least three days, since it may be a while before you can evacuate safely or before help can reach you. A sample emergency kit might look like this:

• Water, a gallon per person per day. Do not count on melting snow to drink.
• Food, high in calories such as energy bars, and which requires little if any preparation.
• Battery-powered radio with extra batteries (or you can buy one of these)
• NOAA weather radio with extra batteries (or, one of these will do the trick)
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Duct tape
• Garbage bags and moist wipes for personal sanitation
• A good multitool with pliers
• Cell phone with charger/extra battery. Ice and snow can easily topple utility poles, leaving you without a landline. By the by, this gem from the Red Cross has a NOAA radio, AM/FM radio, LED flashlight, and it will even charge your cell phone- all on hand crank power!
• An extra supply of any prescription medications you may have
• An analgesic such as Tylenol
• Bedding such as sleeping bags
• A waterproof means of starting a fire (waterproof matches, stormproof lighter, etc), and fuel for that fire. Remember to ventilate well any fire that you start- carbon monoxide is a silent killer

Practice safe winter weather driving techniques (such as downshifting to slow down) just in case you are on the road when a storm hits. Learn things such as whether your car has anti-lock brakes, so that you know what to do during a skid on the ice. Always keep your fuel tank above three quarters full to avoid fuel freezing in the lines. In addition to most of the supplies above, carry a sandbag or a bag of cat litter in your trunk to help provide traction if needed.

At Home

Remember, your primary concern is staying warm- if you are at home when the storm hits, stay indoors. If you have heat, great. If you don't, seal doors by shoving towels in any cracks (such as under the door). Cover all windows at night. Make sure you eat enough to provide your body with the calories it needs to keep itself warm.

In Your Car

If you become trapped in a winter storm while driving, stay in your car. Countless people suffer severe injuries and even death by leaving the shelter of the vehicle and then becoming disoriented in the blinding snow. Run your engine for a few minutes every hour to reheat the interior of your car, making sure that your exhaust pipe is not blocked. Tie a very visible item such as a red handkerchief to the highest point on your vehicle, often the antenna- this will keep you visible to rescuers.

Outside

If you find yourself outside during a snowstorm, seek shelter. If there is no permanent shelter nearby, you can make yourself a lean-to out of fallen timber or even a snow cave. The most important things are to build a fire and to keep both you and the fire away from the wind. Your body heats the air immediately around it, which in turn helps keep your body warm; wind-chill occurs when the wind carries that air away. Place stones near the fire; even if the fire goes out, the stones will continue to store and radiate heat. Always melt snow before drinking; eating snow lowers your body temperature.

In any situation, vigorously move your extremities often to prevent frostbite

Make sure that you have read up on all emergency procedures before the storm. Always pay attention to local weather and news reports, so that you aren't caught unawares. There are plenty of resources on the internet that you should read as soon as possible, and before a storm hits:

• The American Red Cross has a fantastic winter storm preparedness guide, plus a store where you can buy all sorts of cool survival/preparedness toys. It's a good first stop when preparing your emergency kit.
• Some of this information and a lot other information about winter weather can be found at the NOAA website.
• Ready.gov, a very helpful guide to being ready for anything from the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security
• Test your "RQ," or Readiness Quotient