Preparing for a Winter Storm

Because of my darling hubs job, whenever there is any kind of a weather or other “event” in our area, he is called into work and it falls on me to take care of the home. A winter storm is one of those times. Today is one of those days, so I thought that I would share what I do to prepare for a winter storm. 

Before there is a storm:

• Check around the outside of the home to make sure there are no tree limbs that could fall onto your home during a storm.
• Make sure the gutters are clean and free of any yard debris to keep them from clogging up and flooding.

Things that are good to have on hand:

• Snow shovels and ice scrapers. I have found that having more than one shovel is a very wise thing to have. There has been a number of times when I have been shoveling snow and the shovel has broken on me. So having a back-up shovel just in case is a good thing.
• Salt. This is for if sprinkling on the sidewalk and steps to melt the ice or packed down snow.
• Food and Water. Have enough non-perishable food to last you and your family for at least 3 days. More food is even better to have. Same with water. You will need at least 3 gallons of water, per day, for each person for drinking, hygiene, food preparation, etc. In an emergency, you can melt snow and use that for non-potable water. Or, you can use a filter to use the melted snow. Another way to purify the snow is melt it and let get to a rolling boil for five minutes. You also can use eight drops of non-scented bleach that has 6 percent chlorine to one gallon of water. Make sure you have food and water back for your pets as well.
• Prescriptions and other medication. The last thing you want to do is run out of medication during a snow storm.
• Baby products. Diapers, formula, etc.
• Battery  operated radio, NOAA radio, flashlights, extra batteries, candles, matches, solar or battery cell phone charger,
• Camping stove, grill, or equipment needed for a candle stove.
• Blankets and warm clothing
• Something to entertain the kids and yourself with. This can be as simple as a book, cards, board games. It can also mean a laptop computer, hand held video games, a portable dvd player, and so forth.
• Have a back up heat source. This can be wood, solar, wind power, or even kerosene. If you use a kerosene heater please make sure you place it in a well ventilated room. Fireplaces are good if the temperature remains above 20 degrees F. If temps are lower than that, you may lose more heat up the chimney than will go into the room and your room can actually become colder rather than warmer. Also remember that gas furnaces will not work during a power outage as they need electricity to run the fans.

Winter Storm Watch/Warning Issued:

• Stay calm!!!! It seems like every time there is a winter storm warning people start to freak out about it. They run to the store and grab anything they can. Then they get on facebook, or some other social media, and become hysterical about it. While you need to be prepared, common sense preparation and precautions, will make the winter storm more of a nuisance than anything else.
• Check on locations of family members and notify them of upcoming storm.
• Check all your supplies. If needed, gather them into one place so you will know exactly where they are at.
• Start charging all electronic, battery operated devices.
• Monitor NOAA radio to keep up to date on the approaching storm.

During the storm:

• Stay inside and enjoy life. :-)
• Continue to monitor your NOAA radio for storm updates.

After the storm:

• Check to make sure that there is not to much snow on the roof of your house or that there is any other kind of damage.
• Check around with the neighbors, especially with the elderly to make sure everyone is okay and not in need of any help.
• Be careful to prevent frostbite or hypothermia while shoveling. Take your time and take frequent breaks. Drink lots of fluids and keep warm.

Thanks for reading.