S a f e t y T o o l b o x T o p i c s

Yesterday we talked about preparing for a Winter storm and some of the things you should think about NOW, before it occurs.

How about communication? Without electricity, your television, radio and computer won’t do much for you. You need to keep a battery-operated radio in your home for emergencies such as this. You also need a telephone that can be plugged directly into a telephone jack and which can operate without electricity. So if all you have are phones linked to cordless stations and answering machines, make sure you pick up a no-frills telephone to use in an emergency.

A supply of clean drinking water and foods that can be eaten without cooking are important survival supplies in any season.

If you have special needs such as medicine, keep enough on hand to get you through a few days of being stuck at home or in a shelter.

Keep an eye on your neighbors, particularly those who are elderly, caring for young children or living alone. Weather extremes are hardest on the old, the young and those in poor health, so help them to stay warm, dry, fed and cared for.

Make sure you and your family are prepared ahead of time for what may come at us this winter.