Disaster Recovery News

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Although blessed with a white holiday weekend, residents in the Northeast may have more of a winter wonderland than they can handle. People throughout the affected states were urged to stay indoors as a normally 30-minute drive took a minimum of two hours. The winter weather caused airports to close for over 9 hours and trains to breakdown or suspend their services. The blizzard-like conditions spanned from the Carolinas up to Maine.

Wind gusts during the cold weekend caused power outages in eastern states and professional football games to reschedule. MSNBC reports:

“States of emergency were declared in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick urged people who did not have to be on the roads to stay home, to ensure their safety and that of work crews. Nonessential state workers were told to stay home Monday.

“…The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast and strengthened as it moved northeast, the National Weather Service said.

“…an NFL football game scheduled on Sunday night in Philadelphia was postponed, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings to reschedule the contest for Tuesday.”

Stay Safe

The Red Cross offers the following tips to those experiencing the severe winter conditions:

Only use flashlights to illuminate a room. Avoid the use of candles.

Prevent your pipes from freezing by opening cabinet doors in the home to let warm air surround the pipes. Allow a trickle of water to run through exposed pipes to prevent water from freezing and expanding in a pipe, which will cause it to burst.

Do not use a stove or oven to heat a home.

Operate a generator outside your home, and do not connect it to your home’s wiring. Connect electrical equipment directly to the outlets on the generator.

Read more about winter storm protection.

Officials in Baltimore County, Maryland have declared they are ready for winter weather–no matter what it brings.

Currently, the county has 300 trucks and 14 storage facilities full of salt (50,000 tons of  it). On top of this, 100 private contractors are on retainer and 400 people are ready to move if the winter weather hits hard.

What is more amazing than the fact that the storage units are 2,000 tons of salt under capacity is that the county conducted a winter weather drill on December 2. The Towson Times reports that county police, fire officials, the school districts, and the departments of public works (health, aging and social services) came together to practice what they would do in the event of severe winter weather. This was called a “winter-weather preparedness drill” and it will help all involved be better prepared, more coordinated, and work more effectively towards providing relief and safety in the county.

Read the full story here.

Is this drill something your county does? Do you have a preparedness drill for your home or business? Would you know what to do if your business or home was a victim of winter weather disaster?

Find out how to make a recovery plan for your business and how to make your own emergency disaster kits. Learn about winter storm protection and how to prevent mold during the winter months.