Winter Storm

Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by following these rules:

• If you have a generator, keep it outdoors and away from your home doors and intakes
  
  
• Never run your vehicles in a garage
  
  
• Don’t use a gas stove for heat
  
  
• If you have a fireplace, make sure the flue is open. Also, keep your fireplace clean and serviced each year
  
  
• Make sure to have a carbon monoxide detector at home with working batteries

Be prepared for an outage with an emergency kit. Here are items you should always have in your kit:

• Flashlight
  
  
• Batteries
  
  
• Non-perishable food
  
  
• Manual can opener
  
  
• Extra gasoline (if you have an electric vehicle try to fully charge it before the storm)
  
  
• Phone charger
  
  
• Water (have one gallon per person)
  
  
• First-aid kit
  
  
• Medications
  
  
• Battery-powered radio

Follow the tips below to help prevent your pipes from freezing:

• Keep your garage doors closed
  
  
• Keep kitchen and other cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing
  
  
• Let cold water drip from a faucet
  
  
• Using caulk or spray foam insulation, seal gaps around holes where pipes run within walls and floors
  
  
• Apply heating tape to your pipes
  
  
• Add extra insulation before the next cold snap. Insulation helps keep the temperature of the pipe closer to the water temperature inside.

Make sure to have your generator installed by a licensed electrician. Your generator should be in a well-ventilated area. It should never run in your home, basement, garage or any other enclosed area.

When it is safe to do so, look out for your neighbors during storms, especially if they’re elderly or have special medical needs.