Preparing for a Winter Storm

It’s the time of year when winter storms can blow through with deadly force. Are you prepared? While we’d rather not think about it, we all know winter can show up at any time. Check now to see you have the supplies on hand to weather the storm.

• Do you have flashlights and a supply of fresh batteries on hand? It helps to have a battery-powered or gaslight on hand too.
• Make sure you have some extra food such as canned goods, or other non-perishable foods.
• If you have young children or pets in the home, keep extra food on hand for them too.
• You’ll need enough water to get by for a few days at least. That’s one gallon of water per day for each person and pet in your household.
• Keep your cell phone charged with an extra power pack.
• Have extra blankets and warm clothing available.
• Be sure your first aid kit is well stocked and ready to use.
• You may want to keep a camp stove on hand for cooking or think about another way you can heat coffee and food.
• Have a carbon monoxide detector in working order in case you do have to use a camp stove.
• Make sure you have matches and a hand-operated can opener.
• Keep your prescription medicines filled in case you can’t get to the pharmacy.
• Have a battery-operated radio on hand in case of a power failure so you’ll know what’s happening.
• Place towels or blankets around the base of the doorways if you can feel the cold coming in, and turn your faucets on to drip to prevent them from freezing. It can even help to close your curtains to trap the heat inside.
• If it gets really cold inside your home, dress in layers, add blankets or put a hat on to stay warm.

With a little advanced preparation, you won’t be at the mercy of winter storms rolling through. Have a good winter and stay safe! If you need help designing an emergency plan to respond to winter storms or other emergencies, please call Disability Network/Lakeshore for help at 616-396-5326.