Disaster Recovery News

The winter weather has not made any exceptions this year. States west to east have had massive amounts of snow dumped upon them as if a giant snow cone machine was shaving ice in the clouds above.

“The Weather Guys” with USA Today have stated the following for today for your area of the country and your neighbors:

“Northwest nightmare — A powerful winter storm is hammering the Northwest today. Gusty winds and heavy snow and rain are affecting Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Blizzard warnings have been issued for the Cascade and Olympic mountains today. Rain will spread south across California by later today.
Dangerous cold in the center — Intense cold and howling winds are the main weather story in the central USA today. Dangerously cold wind chills values will bottom out well below zero across most of the Plains and Midwest. The winds will bring some lake-effect snow in the lee of the Great Lakes.
More nastiness in the Northeast — Yet another in a series of winter storms is bringing snow and ice to the Northeast today. The heaviest snow should be in northern New York State and northern New England. Strong, bitterly cold winds will be the main story later today and tonight in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic areas.”

The Climate Prediction Center expects the month of January 2009 to be warmer than usual for states east of the Rocky Mountains.
Learn how to keep yourself safe at home or work amid all the wintry weather and the upcoming holidays. The winter months tend to bring a lot of moisture to our homes and businesses that often lead to mold growth; learn more about mold prevention.

 An apartment fire at the Silver Spring Apartments in Columbus, Ohio this weekend took the lives of five people: a mother and her children. 

When firefighters arrived on the scene of the disaster and entered the building in an attempt to rescue the victims, they had to turn back because of the amount of smoke and the instability of the structure. Twenty-one fire trucks were on scene to assist with the rescue efforts. However, when the firefighters attempted to put out the blazes with water, the water ended up freezing, thus hindering their efforts.

More on this story.

Experts believe the Christmas tree in the living room of the home was the cause of the fire, which took 90 minutes to extinguish.

Please take every precaution this holiday season with all of your fabulous décor to make sure your home is safe. Five minutes of taking care in favor of safety can prevent much unneeded heartache we all hear about too often.

Learn more about protecting your home during the holidays. After a fire, life can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, there are services that can help restore your personal items and your home or business quickly and cost effectively. Learn about the simple steps one can take to being the recovery process.

Deep frying your turkey has become a popular trend across the United States. However, as you may have seen in the video above, many dangerous risks are involved.

The Los Angeles Fire Department’s blog has posted some tips about deep-frying safely. If one is going to fry their bird, keep the following in mind:

“Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors, on a solid level surface a safe distance from buildings and flammable materials.

Never use a turkey fryer on a wooden deck, under a patio cover, in a garage or any enclosed space.

Remember that overfilling the fryer will lead to danger.

Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. Wear long sleeves and safety goggles to protect you from oil splatter.

Make sure the turkey is completely thawed. The National Turkey Federation recommends refrigerator thawing and to allow approximately 24 hours for every five pounds of bird.

Be careful with marinades. Remember that oil and water don’t mix. Even a small amount of moisture can cause oil to spill over, leading to a fire or explosion hazard.

Never leave the fryer unattended. Frying a turkey requires full-time adult attention.

Never let children or pets near the fryer when in use. Even hours after use, the oil inside can remain dangerously hot.

Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby, and know its proper use and limitations. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire!

If a turkey fryer fire occurs, have some immediately call 9-1-1.

Use your best judgment. If the fire is manageable and you can do so safely, use the all-purpose fire extinguisher.”

More on protecting your home during the holiday season.