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Tips for Staying Warm and Safe in Winter Weather
Winter is here, and with it often comes mounds of snow or storms that can keep you trapped inside. Or even worse, you may lose power.
Here are some tips to help you prepare ahead of time and keep you safe after, both indoors and out.
Heat
- Close off unneeded rooms; stuff rags or towels under cracks in doors.
- Ventilate a fireplace or wood stove properly if you use one.
- Dress in loose layers that you can add to or take off as needed.
- Only use a portable generator outdoors.
Preventing Frostbite
Try to avoid being outside. If you have to go out, follow these tips from the National Weather Service:
- Dress as warmly as possible in lightweight layers. Wear a hat, cover your mouth, use mittens instead of gloves.
- Recognize frostbite symptoms: a loss of feeling or a white or pale looking toes, fingers, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose.
- Get medical help right away if you think you have frostbite.
- Get to a warm area and remove wet clothing. If you can’t do that, use your body heat to warm the frostbitten area.
- If you are shivering uncontrollably, slurring speech or having memory loss, you could have hypothermia. Get medical help ASAP.
Before It Snows/Storms