Winter blanketed the United States last week with one big cold hug. Or was it a slap?
Freezing temperatures were seen coast to coast. Snow was dumped in the Midwest, Central, and East coasts. Below freezing temperatures hit the Northwest and left children wondering where all the snow was.
Sure, the snow and ice make for a romantic scene the first day or so. But what about all that which comes with freezing temperatures: frozen and burst pipes, snow melt, floodingandwater damage, and mold? Keep reading to find out how one can be ready for the curveballs Mother Nature throws.
Keep pipes insulated and the areas they are in warm.
Leave cabinets where pipes are located open to help prevent the water from within the pipes from freezing. When water freezes, it expands, which causes the pipes to break and burst with water.
Shovel snow away from the home. It is pretty funny when it snows so much it covers the door of the back porch. When the snow melts into the house and floods the laundry room, people stop laughing.
Denver received almost a foot of snow this weekend in a very short amount of time. The Front Range and east plains also did not get left out. USA Today reported the snow was deep enough for some of the airlines at Denver International Airport to have cancelled flights.
The National Weather Service had issued snow advisories in the affected area, but cancelled their warnings after the snow had stopped falling in the Denver area.
Areas of Colorado’s eastern plains also had snow warnings, but they were not cancelled as they had strong winds that made visibility impossible at times. Hundreds of people were called from the Colorado Department of Transportation to help get the roads cleaned-up across the areas affected.
Many of us have already heard of putting “ICE” in our cell phones, address books, PDA’s, etc. ICE stands for: In Case of Emergency. Next to “ICE”, one is to place the name and phone number of an emergency contact. This is useful for emergency service workers, doctors, civil servants, etc. should they need to call an emergency contact person and one is not able to communicate this information.
There is also a free tool that helps with this type of service; it’s the Next of Kin Registry(NOKR). NOKR’s website states:
“NOKR is the central depository for Emergency Contact information in the United States.
…NOKR provides the public a free proactive service to store your emergency contacts, next of kin and vital medical information that would be critical to emergency response agencies. Stored information is only accessible via a secure area that is only accessible by emergency public trust agencies that have registered with NOKR.”
NOKR has registration forms that can be filled and submitted via fax, US mail, or online. They also provide free decals for ID cards, driver’s licenses, passports, etc. that let others know your emergency contact information can be found with NOKR.
Several areas in Kentucky have lost the use of major means of communications and electricity due to the severe winter storms the state experienced. A state of emergency was declared, allowing FEMA to step in and provide assistance to the state devastated by severe ice and snowstorms. Areas of the state have lost electricity, telephone and radio service, and water services.
61 counties are receiving federal assistance as emergency generators, prepared meals, water, and truckloads of fuel are being provided to the state of Kentucky. Find more information about Kentucky’s state of emergency on FEMA’s website.
A small church in Lawrence, Massachusetts was destroyed on Christmas morning by a fire that was caused by a small space heater. The popular Latino church, Iglesia Nueva Jerusalem, also had a small community thrift shop. The church did not have the heater turned on when the fire started, but the heater was left plugged in to the outlet. Officials, however, are still investigating the incident.
The three-alarm fire caused about $200,000 of damage. Fortunately, no one was injured in the event. However, restoring the building will be difficult as the owner did not have it insured.
The Boston Globe, who reported this story, states in the article:
“In 2005, heating equipment fires accounted for 16 percent of all reported home fires and 22 percent of home fire deaths. Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third of the home heating fires and three-fourths of home heating fire deaths, the association found.”
