Cooperative Living January 2015 - 29

SAFETY SENSE
Are You Ready for
Old Man Winter?
W
WINTERIZE YOUR HOME:
Take time to inspect and make needed
changes to your living space, so
you're prepared for extreme cold
and hazardous conditions.
* Check your doors and windows
for air leaks, then add caulk and
weatherstripping as needed so
your heating system doesn't work
harder than it needs to.
* To prevent burst water pipes,
insulate them with foam insulation
or plastic sheeting. On the coldest
nights, open sink cabinets and
allow faucets to drip to avoid
frozen pipes.
* Consider adding insulating
drapes to your windows and
drawing them closed each night.
You can also cover windows with
plastic (from the inside) to keep
the cold out.
* Make sure everyone in your family
knows where your home's fire
extinguisher is located and how
to use it properly.
Following these tips
will help your family
stay warm and safe
no matter when or
how often Old Man
Winter pays a visit.
January 2015/www.co-opliving.com
PREPARE A WINTER
SURVIVAL KIT:
Severe winter storms often bring heavy
accumulation of ice and snow, which can
lead to downed power lines and extended
outages. Co-op crews will work hard to
restore power, but having a winter survival
kit on hand is a smart idea.
* Food: Store food that does not require
cooking, such as canned goods,
peanut butter, crackers, nuts, dehydrated
meats and dried fruit. Keep a large
supply of water on hand. The
ready.gov website recommends five
gallons per person.
* Medication: Be sure to refill all
prescriptions in the event of a major
power outage.
* Identification: Keep driver's licenses,
photo IDs and social security cards
handy. Bank account information and
insurance policies are also good to
have readily available.
* Fuel up: Fill your vehicles' tanks
and make sure each is stocked
with emergency items, including
a flashlight, ice scraper,
jumper cables and a spare
blanket.
* Other items: baby wipes,
manual can opener,
batterypowered
radio
and
extra
batteries.
inter gets serious in January, with a higher likelihood for storms that can bring snow, ice and the
possibility of electric service interruption. When Old Man Winter strikes, being prepared can
make a world of difference.
KEEP WARM:
Before an outage occurs, plan for an alternate
heating source. Always practice
extreme caution when using a fireplace,
wood-burning stove, propane space heater
or kerosene heater. Make sure they are properly
vented and that your home's carbon
monoxide and smoke detectors are working
properly. If you decide to use a portable
generator during an outage, make sure it is
placed outside the home for proper ventilation,
never plug the generator directly into
your home circuit unless a qualified electrician
has installed a power transfer switch,
and be careful not to overload the generator.
Use appropriate extension cords to handle
the electric load. n
Source: www.ready.gov/virginia
27
ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK

http://www.ready.gov http://www.ready.gov/virginia

Cooperative Living January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2015