Don't Get Caught In The Cold
Release Date: January 29, 2002
Release Number: R7-02-05
» 2002 Region VII News Releases
Some of the most commonly used winter weather terms are listed and explained below.
- Outlook: is used to indicate a hazardous weather event may develop within the next 3-5 days.
- Watch: means hazardous winter weather risks can happen within the next 12-48 hours.
- Warning/Advisory: are issued when hazardous winter weather is imminent, a high probability or is occurring.
- Warning: is used for events that could directly cause death, injury or significant property damage.
- Advisory: is used for lesser events that can cause an inconvenience but not death or injury or significant property damage.
- Statement: National Weather Service (NWS) frequently issues updates to watches, warnings or advisories.
- Frostbite: occurs when the skin becomes cold enough to freeze. Warning signs are loss of feeling, a white or pale appearance in the fingers, toes, ear lobes or nose.
- Hypothermia: is low body temperature during long periods of cold exposure. Warning signs are disorientation, confusion, uncontrollable shivering, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. In severe cases, death is possible.
Safety Tips to Travel
Citizens should winterize their cars. The following items should be checked: ignition, cooling, fuel and exhaust systems, battery, lights, tires, heater, brakes, wipers, defroster and oil. In the winter, it is advisable to keep the fuel tank full. Know safe driving routes from home, school or work.
A survival kit in the car should include a flashlight, ice scraper, paper towels, extra clothes, blankets, matches and candles, booster cables, a compass, maps, sand, chains and high calorie non-perishable food.
Drive defensively! Check your owners manual for information about how to use your vehicles braking system during hazardous winter driving conditions.
Travel smart! Plan your trip, dont drive alone and let someone know your travel plans, route and estimated arrival time.
Drive carefully! If you get tired or storm intensity increases, seek shelter off the road. Use road maps, seat covers and newspapers to help provide additional insulation if you are trapped inside your car in a winter snowstorm.
Do not leave your car unless you see a building close by where you know you can take shelter. Once a storm is over, you may need to leave the car to get help. Follow the road if possible. If you need to walk across open county, orient your route toward distant landmarks to maintain your sense of direction.
Safety Tips for the Home
- Keep extra batteries for radios and check battery-operated power equipment before a storm arrives.
- Keep an extra supply of food in the house, especially food that requires no cooking in case of a power failure.
- Check to make sure there is an adequate home heating fuel supply before a storm hits your area.
- Keep blankets, clothing, curtains and furniture and anything that might catch fire away from portable heaters. Likewise, unplug heaters when not in use. Never use charcoal to heat your house because it gives off deadly amounts of carbon monoxide.
- Dress appropriately. Wear several layers of lightweight, warm clothing. Make sure outer garments are tightly woven and/or waterproofed. Wear headgear and mittens that give better protection than fingered gloves.
- Be careful when shoveling snow.
- Winterize your house -- install storm shutters, doors and windows, clear rain gutters and repair leaky roofs. Keep plywood, plastic sheeting, lumber and even sandbags and hand tools accessible for emergency repairs.
During a Storm
- Know how the public is warned (siren, radio, TV) and what warning terms mean for each kind of disaster, i.e. winter storm watch.
- Keep a local radio station on for emergency information and instructions.
- Keep in touch with the elderly and friends or neighbors with disabilities.
Tips on Generators
- In a power outage or ice storm, businesses, nursing homes and schools need to know where they can locate a back-up generator.
- Make a list of businesses renting or selling generators.
- Know how many generators, what size and what kind of electrical output you will need to keep your facility open. Know what types of fuel you will need to run your generator(s) and determine whether you have fuel storage space at your facility.
- Determine where you will place the generator to get maximum use for your facility -- inside on concrete or outside in a trailer.
- Check to see if you have an electrician on site who can install a generator.
After a Storm
- Report downed power lines and broken gas lines immediately.
- After blizzards, heavy snows or extreme cold, check to see that no physical damage has occurred to your home. Make sure the water is running. If there are no physical problems, wait for streets and roads to be opened before you attempt to drive anywhere.
- Check on neighbors, especially those who may have special needs.
- Beware of overexertion and exhaustion. Shoveling snow or disposing of downed tree limbs in extreme
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Aug-2003 15:49:18