Even though it is still fall, winter weather seems to have graced some of us already. Folks in the South Eastern US have yet to experience it, but it is coming. Now is a great time to talk about being prepared for winter storms that may come our way. Today, I’ll focus on being prepared while in your home.
Warnings and Watches
We all look at the weather and we all know that sometimes meteorologists can get really excited over weather events. In areas that are not used to receiving snow, it could almost seem like the biggest event of the year. Your local meteorologists may give specific instructions that pair with specific warnings that you may not be used to hearing. With that being said, let’s talk about the common notices they may use that are given by the National Weather Service.
Winter Storm Watch
When the National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Watch, it means that the conditions are likely that you could get winter weather (snow, ice, sleet, etc.) within the next 24-36 hours. It could turn out to be just rain or it could turn out to be worse, but hey you were at least warned.
Winter Storm Warning
A Winter Storm Warning is saying winter weather is imminent and you need to take the steps necessary to hunker down. It’s not a matter of “if” but rather when it arrives. So, when you see the warning, you should have already done what you needed to do (i.e. buying all of your milk and bread off the shelves).
Blizzard Warning
Most of us will never have to worry about a Blizzard Warning and probably aren’t torn up about it either. I have experienced a blizzard while living in the Midwest. Let’s just say, if you are from an area where things shut down over a dusting a snow, a blizzard is almost overwhelming! It involves wind (35mph +), lots of snow with very low visibility, and it can last for 3+ hours. So, if you ever hear “Blizzard Warning” spoken by your weather-dude or weather-dudette, please take it seriously and take all precautions necessary. The storm is one thing. All of the snow fall and digging out afterwards is a whole different ball of wax. Pro-tip: always keep a shovel INSIDE the house so you can dig yourself out if need be. Snow can often cover exits.
Staying Warm
In the summer, when the power goes out we have a completely different set of problems. You want to find ways to stay cool or cold so you use fans or air conditioning. Without them, your home will heat up like an oven then take all night to cool down. During the cold months, with the help of the sun, your home (if it is sealed relatively well) will slightly warm up and then slowly lose heat. This is an advantage of not having heat as opposed to not having air conditioning is you can always throw on more clothes, blankets, etc. to stay warm. Once you get to bare skin, there’s not much else you can do. With that being said, here are a few things you may want to consider just in case the heat goes out:
- Fire Place – If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, then you are in business (well, I guess you are if you have a wood pile already stacked and prepared)! Just make sure that you have your chimney swept before using it. And if you don’t have enough wood to last, be sure to either go to your local stores or farmers who sell wood. Or, you can buy Duraflame logs if you can’t find any wood (it’s a hot commodity during winter storms – get it? HOT commodity?) With a gas fireplace, you can still use it even without the power (be sure to check the your manual for proper use before you actually need it).
Kerosene Heaters – These are really good to have on hand in the event of the loss of power during the cold. Some people use them as their primary source of heat. Shoot, when I was growing up we had one in our living room. We added a pot of water on top to add humidity to the air. You can get one for around $100-$175 (or maybe less) at any hardware store, Wally’s World (Walmart), Amazon, etc. As for kerosene, “technically”, it is recommended to use K-1 kerosene which you can find in small containers in hardware, farming, and some other stores. It burns cleaner than kerosene that you buy at the gas station and makes your wick last longer. The kerosene from the gas station produces more soot, however, growing up I didn’t even know that K-1 kerosene existed. Everybody I knew, purchased theirs from the gas station. So, I cannot tell you want to do, but when faced with having your family warm you do what you have to do. Just make sure that you follow the precautions about spacing and not putting it too close to furniture or other flammable things. Also, be sure to take the heater outside to refuel it if there is no removable tank.
Get a Hand Siphon – Well, a hand siphon kind of goes with the kerosene heater. One of these can come in handy so that you don’t make a mess when refilling your heater. Check where you purchase your heater because they’ll probably have one nearby.
- Blankets & Comforters – Go locate all of them before the weather hits. In the event you do lose power, they may come in handy if you are without power for a few days.
Food & Eating
Here again, the winter time poses a different set of circumstances when the power goes out than the summer months. In the summer, all that perishable food that you purchased prior to that hurricane will probably….well, uhm, perish after a few days without refrigeration. However, in cold months, when the power goes out, guess what? You have all of the outside to keep your perishable food cold. So, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Food – Canned goods are always good to have in an emergency. However, if you go buy a bunch of canned goods, please make sure that you have a manual can opener because if the power is out that electric one will be useless. Also, you can still use a lot of your refrigerated foods as well (see the next bullet).
- No Refrigeration – As stated above, if the power goes out, you have the entire outdoors to keep your food frozen or at least cold. You may want to put them in a cooler to keep any rogue animals out, but spoiling should be the least of your problems. If you have a garage, then even better. Cold, uninsulated garages can be giant refrigerators so you might as well use it.
Cooking – How am I supposed to cook without a stove? Well if you have a grill (gas or charcoal), then you can cook. During the summer months most hardware stores usually have some blow-out sale for charcoal and we typically stock up then. If you have cast iron or stainless steel pots/pans, then you can cook just as you would in the home. Non-stick pots/pans with wooden or rubber handles may become damaged on a grill, but hey if you have to eat, then do what you have to do.
If you don’t have a grill, then maybe you have that turkey fryer from Thanksgiving. Use that burner to cook other things. And, if you don’t have either of those, then you may want to consider purchasing a grill, outdoor cooker, or one of those propane camping grills/stoves.
- Hot Water – This really goes along with the cooking above, but I just wanted to address it separately. You can use your grills and propane stoves to heat water. If you don’t have running water and you have snow on the ground, then collect the fresh, undisturbed snow for your pot. Just a warning though, snow to water ratio is not the same. There is a lot of air in snow. A lot of snow results in a corner of water. Also, you don’t want to boil dirty (or yellow) snow. Stay away from yellow snow!!!
Consider These Items
In all, here is a short list of things you will want to consider having on hand. Some of the items maybe be a repeat from above, but I just want to make sure that I cover my bases.
- Bottled Water – (In case your pipes burst and you don’t have access to lots of snow, sleet, or ice. You’ll need one gallon per day for each person in the home.)
- Blankets
- Hand and/or feet warmers
- Candles and/or Flashlights
- Matches or Cigarette Lighters
- Batteries (various sizes for flashlights, radios, etc.)
- Perishable and/or Nonperishable foods
- Outdoor Cooker / Propane Camping Grills or Stoves
- Charcoal/propane for outdoor cooking
- Lighter Fluid or Charcoal Chimney (be sure to keep dry newspaper or brown paper bags on hand for this)
- Emergency Radio (preferable one with a Weather Radio as well)
- First Aid Supplies
- Generator (DO NOT USE INSIDE OF YOUR HOME OR GARAGE) and its supplies
- Baby and Elderly supplies
- Extra Pet Food (for your dog, cat, bird, etc.)
Other Links to Review
Below is a list of links with more extensive information. I highly recommend reviewing them, so that you can be as prepared as possible.
- Winter Weather Preparedness
- Snowstorms & Extreme Cold
- Winter Storm Preparedness
- Preparedness Checklists