Public Health Spotlight: Preparing Yourself for the Winter Weather

By Jefferson County Public Health Communications Staff

Winter is getting closer and closer. Preparing for its arrival is a process that may fill many with excitement, especially when you feel the closeness of the holidays. During this season, our home becomes the place to welcome family, friends and neighbors.

However, as we say goodbye to fall and approach the winter months, changing weather conditions can cause damage to our homes. Now is the perfect time to perform winter maintenance on your home and prepare yourself for colder weather. Creating a winter emergency plan will give you some peace of mind if and when a storm hits. Cold weather requires special preparation to ensure your family, your neighbors and your pets are safe before, during and after a winter storm.

Everyone is at risk from the effects of severe weather, including extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice and high winds. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), winter storms can create a higher risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning and heart attacks from overexertion.

In addition to these health risks, extreme weather can cause challenges like power outages and communication failures. Who are the people that need extra help during this time? We all know winter is no joke, especially when it comes to safeguarding our older adults, wheelchair users, those who live alone or have underlying health conditions. It’s vital to be there for them and offer the support they need. You can always check on them or volunteer to remove the snow from their sidewalk.

Go ahead and gather up supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power, have extra batteries for radios and flashlights and consider the medical needs of everyone living in the home, don’t forget about your pets! Create an emergency supply kit for your car, including jumper cables, sand, flashlights, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable snacks. Get used to keeping the gas tank full.

Your home needs winter preparedness too, you can follow several tips to prepare and keep your home insulated from the cold with insulation, caulking and weather stripping. As well as keeping your pipes from freezing.

Drain water from swimming pools or water sprinkler supply lines using the manufacturer’s directions. Unless it is directed, please do not put antifreeze in these lines. Antifreeze can be environmentally harmful and dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife and landscaping.
Remove, drain and store hoses used outdoors. Open the outside faucet to allow water to drain. Keep the outside faucet value open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
Add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in these areas.
Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are in unheated areas. Look in the garage, under the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Insulate both hot and cold-water pipes in these areas.
It would be helpful to use specific products made to insulate water pipes such as a “pipe sleeve” or UL-listed “heat tape”, “heat cable” or other similar materials used on exposed water pipes. One quarter inch of newspaper could provide significant protection in areas that usually don’t have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.
Consider relocating exposed pipes to provide increased protection from freezing.
If there are water supply lines in the garage, keep the garage door closed.
Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. If there are any dangerous cleaners or chemicals keep these out of the reach of children and pets.
If the weather is very cold outside, allow water to drip from the faucet of any exposed pipes.
Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing, even if the heating bill is a bit higher.
Please don’t heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
If you leave your home for an extended period during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, at least 55 degrees or higher.

If you are under a winter storm warning, stay off the roads, stay indoors and dress warmly. Think about the impact a power outage would have on your home and your ability to communicate with others and stay warm. A reminder to only use generators outside! It is important to listen for emergency information and alerts and look for signs of hypothermia and frostbite.

Don’t forget we are all in this together! It is important to check on your neighbors and make sure they have everything they need. Be sure you stay tuned to the forecast all winter long. There is no time like the present to get prepared!

About Jefferson County Public Health

Public health is what we do collectively to prevent illness and premature death and promote health in our neighborhoods and communities. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) is a nationally accredited health department committed to promoting and protecting health across the lifespan for all people through prevention, education and partnerships. To learn more about JCPH visit https://www.jeffco.us/public-health. You can also follow JCPH on Twitter @JeffcoPH, Instagram @JeffcoPH and Facebook @jeffcopublichealth.

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.