Experts Advise Homeowners to Prepare Homes, Cars for Winter Storms

Insulate Exposed Pipes and Drip Faucets to Prevent Ruptures

Freezing water inside residential pipes expands and often causes structural ruptures, leading to costly water damage and severe stress for property owners. To prevent these failures, experts advise insulating exposed pipes located in attics, garages, crawl spaces, and exterior walls. Opening cabinet doors beneath sinks during particularly cold nights allows warmer indoor air to circulate around vulnerable plumbing. Letting faucets with vulnerable pipes drip slightly also prevents pressure buildup.

Homeowners should locate their main water shutoff valve immediately so they can stop the flow quickly if a pipe bursts.

Additional seasonal maintenance includes checking door and window seals, clearing out gutters, inspecting the roof, and testing heating systems before temperatures drop. Anyone utilizing portable space heaters must place them on flat, stable surfaces at least three feet away from combustible materials such as furniture, curtains, and bedding.

These units belong directly in wall outlets rather than extension cords or power strips, and users must turn them off before sleeping or leaving the room. Testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, along with replacing dead batteries, remains a critical safety step.

Assembling Essential Supplies for Power Outages

Winter storms frequently knock down trees and utility lines, leaving homes without electricity for hours or days at a time. The Federal Emergency Management Agency advises households to maintain sufficient supplies for a minimum of 72 hours for every person living in the residence.

A reliable emergency kit should contain at least one gallon of drinking water per person daily, non-perishable food items, and a manual can opener. Residents also need flashlights, extra batteries, portable phone chargers, warm clothing, heavy socks, extra blankets, prescription medications, and a first aid kit. Households with infants or pets must pack specialized items and pet food accordingly.

A hand-crank or battery-powered weather radio helps track official updates, while basic hygiene products and small bills round out the kit.

Individuals dependent on electrically powered medical devices need a backup power source or an alternate safe location established before severe weather arrives.

During a blackout, keeping refrigerator and freezer doors shut preserves perishables. The United States Department of Agriculture notes that an unopened refrigerator maintains safe temperatures for approximately four hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for roughly 48 hours if left closed, while a half-full unit lasts about 24 hours.

Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazards

Improperly ventilated heating equipment creates lethal carbon monoxide risks during winter outages. Generators must always operate outdoors at least 20 feet away from windows, doors, and ventilation ducts, and never inside a home, garage, basement, or enclosed porch. Charcoal grills, camp stoves, and propane heaters have no place indoors for cooking or heating.

Preparing Vehicles for Icy Roads

Sudden temperature drops and icy pavement turn routine commutes into hazards. Drivers should check tire tread and air pressure, test vehicle batteries, and confirm that defrosters and windshield wipers function properly. Keeping gas tanks at least half full prevents fuel line freezing and helps drivers manage highway delays or detours.

An automobile emergency kit should include blankets, gloves, hats, bottled water, non-perishable snacks, a flashlight, a basic first aid kit, jumper cables or a portable jump starter, and a phone charger.

A small snow shovel, an ice scraper, and traction aids like cat litter or sand assist vehicles stuck in frozen ruts. Motorists should monitor forecasts and road conditions before heading out, avoiding unnecessary travel during ice warnings. Bridges, overpasses, and shaded stretches freeze before other road surfaces even when pavement appears clear.

Drivers caught in a slide or stranded must stay inside their vehicles for safety and contact emergency services. Anyone running an engine to stay warm must verify that tailpipes remain clear of snow and debris to block carbon monoxide accumulation.

Provide Dry Shelter and Indoor Warmth for Animals and Neighbors

Animals face severe risks when temperatures plunge. Pets kept outdoors require a dry, windproof shelter elevated off damp ground and insulated with clean straw rather than blankets or towels, which absorb moisture and freeze. Water bowls need frequent checks to ensure drinking water remains liquid. Bringing vulnerable pets—especially young, elderly, short-haired, or sick animals—inside during freezing nights prevents fatal exposure.

Severe weather also demands community outreach toward older adults, individuals with disabilities, and isolated residents who may struggle to prepare their homes or secure provisions.

Checking on neighbors before and during a storm ensures everyone has adequate heat, food, water, and medication. Families should establish emergency communication plans featuring designated meeting points and alternative contact numbers in case cellular networks fail.

Residents can track official forecasts and real-time alerts through the Atlanta/Peachtree City, GA – National Weather Service, which oversees monitoring for northern and central Georgia. Turning on Wireless Emergency Alerts on mobile phones and keeping a NOAA weather radio nearby ensures households receive timely warnings when winter weather threatens the region.