Scavello Restoration Winterizing Your Home Before a Winter Storm
If you live in an area with severe winter weather, you home should be winterized sometime during the fall season. There are many things that can be done to prepare your home for winter including insulating attics, basements, and walls to help heat your home more efficiently, and putting plastic over windows. Heating systems should also be cleaned and serviced each year before they are used to ensure they are safe and working properly. Any drafty areas should be caulked, or otherwise repaired and the roof should be checked to ensure that there are no leaks and it will be able to bear the weight of the snow.
Before cold weather approaches, you should also spend some time cleaning gutters and trimming any tree branches that could fall on your home in the event of a bad storm. Pipes should also be insulated to prevent them from freezing which can result in burst pipes and flooding.
What To Do During a Winter Storm
During winter storms it is important to stay warm, and also avoid overexertion. Ideally you will be able to stay indoors during a storm but if you must go outside it is important to walk cautiously to avoid slipping and falling on ice. Shoveling snow can lead to overexertion so it is important to take breaks, and try to avoid lifting heavy piles of snow. If you are outside shoveling and trying to clear away snow during a storm, you need to stay warm and dry to prevent frostbite. Change wet clothing and be able to recognize the signs of frostbite, such as loss of feeling, and pale or white extremities. During a storm, you should avoid driving but if necessary it is important to do so very cautiously. Also make sure that you car has an emergency kit that includes a shovel, food, water, blanket, and other important items.
