Update: This post was written in 2014 during the last POLAR VORTEX Madison, WI experienced. We hope you are staying safe and warm this year.
Madisonhousecleaning.net / A Helping Hand hopes everyone is staying healthy and safe this winter during the deep freeze. Please be sure you are keeping in touch with your friends and neighbors and helping them stay warm and safe too!
EXTREME COLD
When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal in Madison, WI, staying warm and safe can become a challenge. Extremely cold temperatures often accompany a winter storm, so you may have to cope with power failures and icy roads. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce the risk of car crashes and falls on the ice, you may also face indoor hazards.
Exposure to cold temperatures, whether indoors or outside, can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems. The emergency procedures outlined here are not a substitute for training in first aid. However, these procedures will help you to know when to seek medical care and what to do until help becomes available. are not a substitute for training in first aid. However, these procedures will help you to know when to seek medical care and what to do until help becomes available.
PLAN AHEAD
Prepare for extremely cold weather every winter—it’s
always a possibility. There are steps you can take in advance
for greater wintertime safety in your home and in your car.
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.)
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.
For more tips about how to prepare for Extreme Winter Weather click here for the CDC Winter Guide
Source: CDC