Do you know how to prepare in case of a freeze warning? Freezing temperatures bring dangerous situations to homeowners. Prepare for the things you can and hope for the best with things you can’t control, such as falling trees.
First, make sure your gutters are free of leaves and other debris. If water can’t easily pass through your gutters, ice can build up where all the gunk creates a small dam. Those areas can become too heavy for the nails that are holding them to your home. This can be dangerous depending on where the gutters end up falling. They could potentially bust windows or cause damage to the outside of your home.
How to Prepare Your Home for Maximum Comfort
With freezing temperatures comes possible power outages. Make sure to check all your flashlights and battery operated lighting devices. Get spare batteries for all the lights that work. Make sure all candles, lighters and matches are accessible in the event that you have to locate them in the dark.
Food and Water
Freeze a few gallon bags of water. Make sure any ice packs you have are in your freezer. If the power goes out, move 1 gallon bag of water to your fridge. Add another bag to your fridge every 8 hours. This will help to keep the fridge colder, longer. As those bags melt, you’ll have cold drinking water. Keep the ice packs in your freezer. Remember to open the door as little as possible.
Make sure you have a manual can opener and canned goods on hand. You never know how long you’ll be out of power. Just in case the food goes bad in your fridge, you’ll have canned goods to keep you fed till the power comes back and the roads are passable.
Pre-cook what you can. Bacon is one of those items. You can cook it, let it cool and stick it in a storage bad or container for eating later. Ground meat is a good thing to go ahead and pre-cook too. You can make tacos and all you’ll need to do is warm the ground meat. All the toppings are cold items.
Warmth
Be sure to protect your firewood from getting wet. Place it in your garage or basement if you have one. If it must be stored outside, try to make sure it’s off the ground and covered completely with a tarp.
Gather all your blankets and warm clothing in your living room. This makes it much easier for your family members to find the things that will keep them warm. By keeping everyone in one room, you also get to take advantage of body heat.
When you know the weather might get bad, go ahead an keep all your devices 100% charged. You’ll want to know what’s going on with your power company and neighbors. If the power goes out, shut all devices off unless you’re using them. By doing this, you can make your devices last for days. If you have any power banks, make sure those are also fully charged.
Make sure your car is filled with gasoline and you have cash on hand. You may need supplies and although the roads may be passable, the stores may not have electricity to run a credit or debit card.
Before the weather gets bad, take note of the trees around your home. Pay close attention to ones that look a bit weaker than the rest. From there, use your best judgement to decide where the safest place in your home is, in the event that one of those trees fell.
Safety First
If you plan to use a generator, make sure you are familiar with how to run it safely. Make sure to have space outside of your home to protect it from the elements. It cannot run safely indoors. The fumes create carbon monoxide, which is incredibly dangerous to breathe. You cannot detect it with your senses. If the power is out, your carbon monoxide detector will only work if there is a battery backup with charged batteries in it.
Prepare for the freezing temperatures. Stay safe and warm!
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