Snow Storm Safety tips

We are expecting snow over the weekend initial reports state a significant amount of snow to fall during this storm. You should have an emergency plan in place and shared with your family. If you need some guidance on how to develop an emergency plan for your home see my post titled “emergency preparedness”. In the meantime here are some snow storm safety tips you can use to keep your family safe during a snow storm.

When a snow storm strikes there is a concern about power outages. So before the storm arrives make preparations. Your flash lights should have fresh batteries and mobile devices should be fully charged. This way if the power is out for a prolonged period time you are still able to have light inside the home.  Avoid using candles as this can be a fire hazard. If you lose power in your home keep the refrigerator door closed so food does not spoil. After a power loss if you keep the refrigerator door closed it will keep food fresh for a few hours. Any electrical equipment or devices should be unplugged after a power outage this way when the power is restored no devices will start up without your knowledge. I would leave at least one or two lights plugged in or left on so you know when the power is restored.

You should make sure you have snow removal equipment available in case you need to remove snow during the storm. Salt and a snow shovel will be good enough to remove snow in the event of heavy snow storm do the best you can to keep walkway clear of snow during the storm. This way if you need to leave your home in case of an emergency your pathway will be clear.  Should you have to go outside to remove snow notify someone in the household. This person can conduct periodic checks on you while you are clearing the snow. Who ever is designated to remove snow should take their time they should take frequent breaks. You are being exposed to the inclement weather and removing heavy snow you must be careful listen to your body. 

Lastly stay home and stay off the roads if you don’t have to go out do not do so. This will give your local road crews an opportunity to remove the snow from the road ways safely. In the event you have to leave your home for an emergency please have an emergency car kit in your vehicle and your gas tank should be full (fill your tank prior to any storm). The best place for you is to stay home listen to weather updates. This is a brief overview on some steps you can take to be ready for a snow storm for a more detailed preparation please check out my “emergency preparedness “post.

I hope this post was helpful please leave a comment below

Mark Carvajal