Residents Urged to Be Prepared for Snow Predicted to Hit Greater Lehigh Valley Tomorrow

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:

Prepare a winter storm plan:

• Have extra blankets on hand.
• Ensure that each member of your household has a warm coat, gloves or mittens, hat, and water-resistant boots.

• First aid kit and essential medications
• Battery-powered NOAA weather radio, flashlight, and extra batteries
• Canned food and can opener
• Bottled water (at least one gallon of water per person per day to last at least three days)
• Extra warm clothing, including boots, mittens, and a hat
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit for your car, too
• Have your car winterized before winter storm season.

• Stay indoors during the storm.
• If you must go outside, several layers of lightweight clothing will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat. Gloves and a hat will prevent loss of body heat. Cover your mouth to protect your lungs.
• Understand the hazards of wind chill, which combines the cooling effect of wind and cold temperatures on exposed skin.
• As the wind increases, heat is carried away from a person's body at an accelerated rate, driving down the body temperature.
• Walk carefully on snowy, icy sidewalks.
• After the storm, if you shovel snow, be extremely careful. It is physically strenuous work, so take frequent breaks. Avoid overexertion.

• Carry a disaster supplies kit in the trunk.
• Keep your car's gas tank full for emergency use and to keep the fuel line from freezing.
• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.

• Stay with your car. Do not try to walk to safety.
• Tie a brightly colored cloth (preferable red) to the antenna for rescuers to see.
• Start the car and use the heater for about 10 minutes every hour. Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes won't back up in the car.
• Leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so that you can be seen.
• As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to keep blood circulating and to stay warm.
• Keep one window away from the blowing wind slightly open to let in air.

Be cautious with portable space heaters - Place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible, including wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets, and people. Never leave space heaters operating when you are not in the room or when you go to bed. Don't leave children or pets unattended with space heaters, and be sure everyone knows that drying wet mittens or other clothing over space heaters is a fire hazard.

Be careful with candles - Do not use candles for lighting if the power goes out. Use flashlights only. Keep candles away from combustible materials. Don't leave children or pets unattended in a room with lit candles. Keep candles, matches and lighters out of the reach of children. Never display lighted candles in windows or near exits.

Inspect fireplaces and wood stoves - Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of every heating season. Use a sturdy screen when burning fires. Burn only wood -- never burn paper or pine boughs. Do not hang holiday decorations from or on your fireplace if you plan to use it as a heat source.

Check smoke detectors - Make sure detectors are working properly and that new batteries are installed.

Use generators carefully - If you have a portable generator and the power goes out, always plan to keep the generator outdoors; never operate it inside, including the basement or garage. Do not hook up a generator directly to your home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Connecting a cord from the generator to a point on the permanent wiring system and back feeding power to your home is an unsafe method to supply a building with power.

The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley serves more than 660,000 residents of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training; Lifeline, a personal response service for seniors; and emergency relief to more than 20,000 Greater Lehigh Valley residents. For more information about the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley or volunteer opportunities, call (610) 865-4400 or visit www.redcrosslv.org.