PSA: Snow emergency tips!

[Tap]

If you have snow/ice on your windshield make sure your wipers are turned off before starting your car. The weight of snow on wipers can bend the arms and result in an unnecessary expense.

 

Don't pour hot water on a frozen windshield to melt off the ice. The temperature difference can crack a windshield.

 

Find flashlights/batteries/candles/matches before the power goes out. Old cell phones that still hold a charge/turn on can also be used as a flashlight (don't use your current one or you may find yourself without a phone).

 

We my kids were little, I would pick up glow sticks at the dollar store and keep them for the kids. It makes the dark fun if they got scared.

 

Plan a few meals that require no cooking and keep the supplies on hand. Sandwiches, raw fruits or veggies, cereal, etc.

 

Break icicles off the gutters. They add weight and strain to the gutters and if they break off and fall on someone, can cause grave injuries.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Tap, tap, tap

[RegGuheert]

I thought this old thread might be useful for some right now...

[Tammyla]

Roof Rake...I'd never heard of one until we moved here, they have a super long handle.

 

Have water on hand

*Make sure your outside hoses are not attached to the spouts

 

Boiling water will up the humidity inside and help it feel warmer if you don't have a humidifier

 

 

 

I was awakened from a deep sleep at about 5:00 AM by a loud pop I heard from the roof! :eek: Even still, I'm not sure how I could manage to clear it off. I will also say that I had a teacher in high school who shattered his arm in three places when he fell from his roof trying to clear ice from his gutters.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I thought this old thread might be useful for some right now...

 

My fil (a fire chief) keeps a large sheet of heavy plastic on his windshield when ice/snow is expected. It's long enough to cover the windshield and then fold around the frame. He closes the doors on it to hold it in place. If he gets a fire run in the night, he can pull the plastic loose and the snow and ice comes off and shakes off. So he isn't standing and scraping for 10-15 min before responding.

 

If you're in an area that doesn't freeze often and might not have good insulation in outer walls, try to keep pipes under sinks and to outdoor water faucets from freezing. Disconnect hoses that are outside. Open cupboard doors under the kitchen sink or other pipe areas that are along outer walls that might freeze.

 

To defog the windshield when driving, run the heater on high on defrost to warm the windshield (reduces the condensation) and if possible also run the AC (to remove the moisture from the air). [This will work if you can run AC and set the temp separately.]

[jujsky]

:confused: How short are your kids?

 

I understand big snow storms are extra challenging in areas that aren't used to them. There just aren't as many snow plows (or shovels) per capita and people aren't used to driving, etc.

 

But I don't think I've ever heard of a child getting trapped under the snow while playing in the yard.

 

Me either, and I've lived in New England my entire life. I've heard of a couple kids in the past getting killed by snowplows when they made snow forts in or around snow banks, but I've never heard of kids getting buried.

[ChristusG]

Gosh, this life long Florida girl is reading this thread and I'd be terrified to be up there where y'all are. There's so many things that I'd never have even considered since I've never even seen snow. I complain about our 98 degree days down here during the summer but I don't think I could tolerate all the precautions and dangers related to so much snow.

[Tammyla]

We wish....

 

 

 

Gosh, this life long Florida girl is reading this thread and I'd be terrified to be up there where y'all are. There's so many things that I'd never have even considered since I've never even seen snow. I complain about our 98 degree days down here during the summer but I don't think I could tolerate all the precautions and dangers related to so much snow.

[RegGuheert]

 

Me either, and I've lived in New England my entire life. I've heard of a couple kids in the past getting killed by snowplows when they made snow forts in or around snow banks, but I've never heard of kids getting buried.

Even though you have never heard of kids getting buried, it still happens:

Sadly a girl has suffocated under the snow in Ohio.

Police said Emily's death was ruled an accident. THEY'RE WARNING PARENTS TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEIR KIDS PLAYING IN THIS SNOW.

 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Here they delay or close school for just a couple of inches. Back home we had years without any snow days - we just got used to shoveling prior to school.

 

 

The delays and closures have nothing to do with your driveway, though. Nor are they because of the wimpy people. Cities in warmer climates don't have enough equipment to clear the roads in time for school. Buses need clear roads. The delays allow the trucks more time to do their jobs, and the sun to do its wonderful warmfulness. :)