Winter Wonderland

The weather outside is frightful,

but the fire inside's delightful....

Last year we all got a taste of the frightful winter weather as ice storms struck our communities paralyzing life as we know it. We all got creative in ways cooking, staying warm and entertaining ourselves. We pray that another 2007 ice storm never strikes again but it's a good thing to be prepared.

Here's some tips from the Centers for Disease Control:

Winter Survival Kit for Your Home

Keep several days’ supply of these items:

• Food that needs no cooking or refrigeration,
such as bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods,
and dried fruits. Remember baby food and
formula if you have young children.

• Water stored in clean containers, or purchased
bottled water (5 gallons per person) in case
your water pipes freeze and rupture.

• Medicines that any family member may need.
If your area is prone to long periods of cold
temperatures, or if your home is isolated, stock
additional amounts of food, water, and medicine.

Emergency Supplies List:
• an alternate way to heat your home during a power failure:
- dry firewood for a fireplace or wood stove, or
- kerosene for a kerosene heater
• furnace fuel (coal, propane, or oil)
• electric space heater with automatic
shut-off switch and non-glowing elements
• blankets
• matches
• multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher
• first aid kit and instruction manual
• flashlight or battery-powered lantern
• battery-powered radio
• battery-powered clock or watch
• extra batteries
• non-electric can opener
• snow shovel
• rock salt
• special needs items (diapers,
hearing aid batteries,
medications, etc.)

For a complete weather preparedness guide, download the pdf from the CDC website. You will find some great complete information in this guide.

A client recently gave me a helpful hint. Their family used their solar powered garden lights for light source at night. They left them outside during the day and then brought them in at night. Using the lights saved the batteries in their flashlights and prevented fire danger from candles while they were sleeping.