Preparing for Winter Storm Season: Essential Tips for Home and Work
As winter storm season approaches, it’s crucial to take necessary precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of your loved ones. Gina Wilken, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm, emphasizes the importance of preparation, stating that winter storms bring a multitude of risks to your home and physical health, and preparation should be taken just as seriously as other extreme weather events like hurricanes or tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, it’s essential to take key steps ahead of a winter storm to keep you safe in your home or at work for more than a day without heat, power, or phone service. This includes having a plan in place, stocking up on emergency supplies, and staying informed about the latest weather conditions.
Gina Wilken, Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm, provides tips and tricks on how people can prepare their homes for the winter season.
Staying Warm and Safe During a Winter Storm
If your home is heated by propane or another heating source that requires fuel, make sure to fill up before a winter storm hits. If you end up stuck in your home and run out of heat, fuel carriers may not be able to reach you for several days.
It’s also essential to have an emergency heat source in your home during winter storm season. A fireplace, wood stove, or space heater can be used to heat your home in an emergency, but make sure it is properly ventilated to avoid fires.
A wood-burning stove at a home in Whimple, East Devon. Picture date: Friday January 10, 2025.
(Yui Mok/PA Images)
Stocking Up on Essential Supplies
Make sure to have flashlights with extra batteries on hand in case the power goes out during a winter storm. Keep a stock of water and shelf-stable food that doesn’t require refrigeration or heat to eat, such as nuts, dried fruits, granola bars, cereal, canned or packaged tuna or chicken, and meat jerky.
It’s also crucial to have extra prescription medicine, a stocked first-aid kit, and essential items like diapers and formula for babies, and pet food and warm shelter for pets.
Shoppers exit a grocery store during a winter storm ahead of the Iowa caucus in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
(Al Drago/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Preparing Your Home for Winter Storms
To keep your home safe in the event of a winter storm, test fire alarms and smoke detectors monthly to ensure they’re working. Check carbon monoxide alarms and keep debris and snow cleared from them before and after a winter storm.
Review generator safety tips if you have an emergency generator, and review ways to prevent a home fire in the event you need to stay warm without a main heating source.
CANAJOHARIE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – JANUARY 07: A snowman flag is seen on the front of a house during a powerful winter storm which brought as much as 14 inches of snow to the Northeast, on January 7, 2024 in the village of Canajoharie, N.Y.
(Paul Hennessy/Anadolu / Getty Images)
For more information on how to prepare your home and work for winter storm season, visit Here to learn more about the essential supplies and tips you need to stay safe and warm during a winter storm.
Image Source: www.foxweather.com
