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As winter weather sets in, you may have to take extra precautions to keep your family safe or to prevent
property damage. The Weather Channel highlights
22 things to
avoid as you
prepare for winter, including:
-
Failing to Clean the Gutters
Before Freezing Weather Arrives. Cleaning gutters is important when protecting and
preparing your home for the winter months. Gutters help keep icicles from
forming along the roofline. Icicles may damage shingles, which can cause water
to leak into your home.
-
Going to Bed Before Heating
Sources Have Cooled. Before
you go to bed or leave the house, ensure that space heaters have cooled
and are powered off. If you have
built a fire in the fireplace, be sure that the embers are no longer
burning.
-
Forgetting to Develop a Fire
Escape Plan. According to the U.S. Fire
Administration, the risk of home
fires increases with the use of alternative heating sources, so it's
important to develop and rehearse an escape
plan.
To see the
full list of winter weather don’ts, visit the Weather Channel website.
The official start of winter begins December
21, but some parts of the country are already experiencing severe winter
weather. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), serious
health problems can result from prolonged exposure to the cold. One of the most
common problems is frostbite.
Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by
freezing, and most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes.
Signs of frostbite
include:
- White or
grayish-yellow skin area;
- Skin that feels
unusually firm or waxy; and
-
Numbness.
If you detect symptoms of frostbite, seek
medical care immediately. If medical care is not available, follow these
important tips from the CDC, including:
- Get into a warm
room as soon as possible;
- Do not walk on
frostbitten feet or toes, unless necessary. Doing so can increase the
damage; and
-
Immerse the
affected area in warm water.
For more information about frostbite and how
to prevent it, check out this video
from the National Weather Service.
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Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the
federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster
preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events,
entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events
and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included
in future newsletters by contacting citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
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