{"id":401,"date":"2020-01-01T08:54:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/?p=401"},"modified":"2025-11-04T11:51:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:51:23","slug":"prepare-for-winter-weather-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/prepare-for-winter-weather-events\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>Prepare for Winter Weather Events<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/winter-storm-trees-300x263.png\" alt=\"a suburban street with downed trees covered in ice. Spectators nearby planning to clear the road.\" class=\"wp-image-406\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After our hot, dry fall, it may be hard to imagine dealing with winter storms this season. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts a neutral winter for us, and that means more warm-to-cold-to warm temperature swings, according to UGA Agricultural Climatologist Pam Knox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I remember one winter not so long ago when we had snow on Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and New Year\u2019s Day. Daytime warming melts snow, which refreezes into ice overnight. Layers of ice are heavy enough to bring down tree branches and power lines, potentially leaving us without power or road access to grocery stores and medical services. Icy roads can also leave us stranded, as many experienced during the January 2014 \u201cSnowmageddon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prepare to shelter at home<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you do routine grocery shopping, purchase one or two extra shelf-stable, ready-to-eat canned goods, like non-condensed soup, canned chicken breast and tuna, pasta meals, and vegetables. This builds your emergency food supply without adding too much to your grocery bill each week. Unlike frozen foods, canned foods can outlast a long power outage. Make sure you have a manual can opener, too. Dry foods like pasta and rice are stable, but they require water and cooking, luxuries that may be in short supply during a storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends stocking at least a three-day supply of adequate nutrition, water and prescription medications for each family member, including pets and livestock. Why three days? That\u2019s how long it may take to restore electricity and clear roads of ice, fallen trees and other hazards. But as we\u2019ve seen with recent natural disasters, actual restoration of electricity, water and transportation can take much longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To get through disruptive storms or other emergencies you\u2019ll also need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Water \u2013 one gallon per person per day for drinking and hygiene<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternate heat source and fuel, such as firewood for your fireplace<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flashlights with extra batteries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NOAA weather radio<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>First aid kit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Entertainment \u2013 board games, cards and books help keep boredom and cabin fever at bay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What to do if your power goes out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In power failures, use foods from the refrigerator first, then frozen foods, then canned foods. If your oven doesn\u2019t work without electricity, use coals in your fireplace to heat food. Use cast iron cookware if you have it, or place food in pockets of aluminum foil. Remember Hobo Packs from summer camp?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"228\" src=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/tin-foil-meal-e1672322532457-300x228.png\" alt=\"A tin foil bowl filled with potatoes and carrots\" class=\"wp-image-404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/tin-foil-meal-e1672322532457-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/tin-foil-meal-e1672322532457-768x584.png 768w, https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/tin-foil-meal-e1672322532457.png 919w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Food wrapped in aluminum foil can be cooked over fireplace coals. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can cook outside on your grill. Don\u2019t bring your grill inside; this can cause deadly carbon monoxide to build up in your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fill some clean containers with water. If there\u2019s space in your freezer, make ice. It helps keep frozen foods frozen longer without power. Fill your bathtub with water for washing and to refill the toilet tank for flushing, if necessary. Opening cabinet doors and leaving a faucet dripping can help to keep the water in your pipes from freezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To stay warm, centralize the family in one room, preferably one with a fireplace or woodstove, and close the doors to other rooms. Bring blankets, books, and games to help the time pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you must venture outside, bundle up, including gloves and a warm hat that covers your ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prepare your car for travel emergencies <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/cars-on-snowy-road-e1672322680431-300x170.png\" alt=\"A snow covered road with three cars stranded.\" class=\"wp-image-402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/cars-on-snowy-road-e1672322680431-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/cars-on-snowy-road-e1672322680431-768x435.png 768w, https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/files\/2022\/12\/cars-on-snowy-road-e1672322680431.png 982w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Winter storms and icy conditions pose road hazards. Prepare your car for road emergencies with a survival kit that contains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Warm clothes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sturdy walking shoes with warm socks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heavy work gloves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blanket or sleeping bag<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hand-crank flashlight and radio<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bottled water and ready-to-eat foods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toiletry items<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflective vest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a good idea to have a similar kit at work, too, in case you need to shelter in place there. Look for more <a href=\"https:\/\/extension.uga.edu\/topic-areas\/timely-topics\/emergencies.html\">emergency preparedness resources from UGA<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After our hot, dry fall, it may be hard to imagine dealing with winter storms this season. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts a neutral winter for us, and that means more warm-to-cold-to warm temperature swings, according to UGA Agricultural Climatologist Pam Knox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[144,143],"class_list":["post-401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anr","tag-winter-preparedness","tag-winter-storms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2171,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401\/revisions\/2171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/forsyth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}