PARSONS – The winter weather has been extreme this year, especially within the last two weeks. With that in mind, Darla Stemple, Director of the Tucker County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management/911 offers some tips and guidelines to making sure Tucker County residents are prepared and safe during potentially dangerous weather conditions:
-If the electricity goes out, use an alternative form of heat with caution. Fireplaces and kerosene heaters can be dangerous without proper ventilation.
-Have multiple sources for heat. Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
-Stick to one room for heat and close off unnecessary rooms in the house. Make sure there are no air leaks in the room. Keep sunlight streaming through the windows in the day, but block all windows at night.
-Keep portable generators outside, away from windows and as far as possible from your home.
-Install and test carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month. Test smoke alarms monthly.
-Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
-Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep it at least 10 feet from your home and any nearby buildings.
-Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.
-Have a three-foot kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters.
-Plug only one heat-producing appliance (suck as a space heater) into an electrical outlet at a time.
-Never use your oven to heat your home.
-Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
-Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room.
-Keep hydrated and nourished in case the heat is out for an extended period. An unhealthy body will be more susceptible to the cold than a healthy one.
-Pets must also be protected from the cold. When temperatures drop below freezing, outdoor pets should be moved indoors or to a sheltered area to protect them from the cold.
-Leave water faucet drip and open cabinet doors for areas prone to freezing.
-For portable electric heaters: Place on a solid, flat surface, away from high traffic areas and doorways. Turn them off when you go to bed or leave the room. Use and purchase heaters with an automatic shut off, so if they are tipped over, they will shut off. Plug power cords directly into outlets and never use an extension cord. Inspect for cracked or damaged, broken plugs or loose connections and replace before using.
Stemple stressed that folks need to have an emergency plan. “If you don’t have an alternate heat source, have a plan to relocate. This could be with a friend, neighbor or family member. If you do relocate, let someone know where you are going.”
During Wednesday’s Tucker County Commission meeting, Stemple asked Commissioners to talk weather. “We had no issues with the natural gas on Monday night. We did have issues on the night of Feb. 15. We did not completely lose gas service, but it got down to 3 pounds of pressure that was supposed to supply both Thomas and Davis.”
Stemple said the gas comes in from Columbia Gas at 800 to 1,000 psi, goes into a system that heats it and comes back out at 35 psi and supplies gas to Thomas and Davis. “That got down to 3 psi. If it goes to zero, they must shut it down, turn everyone’s gas off and start all over. That happened two years ago, and it takes days to get everyone back up and running because they (the gas company employees) must go to every home and business which have gas and relight or check their pilot lights and check the system.”
She also said folks should have a basic emergency supply kit with the following:
-Water, at least one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days for drinking and sanitation.
-Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.
-Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both.
-Flashlight and extra batteries.
-First aid kit.
-A whistle to signal for help.
-Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place.
-Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation.
-Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities.
-Manual can opener for food.
-Local maps.
-Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger.
Lois Nelson, Public Information Officer for the Tucker County OEM/911, said the critical thing is folks need to be prepared for a potential emergency.
“We just never know, so we were trying to get people to plan and think about situations that can occur, and assure they have everything they need for emergency situations including housing if their power source goes out,” Nelson said. “It may not be the gas but the electricity and we were trying to get folks to be prepared.”
Nelson said in the case of emergency, information is passed by way of newspapers, the Tucker County 911 Facebook page, WDTV, WBOY and local radio stations. Emergency information is also announced on the local scanner through the Tucker County Office of Emergency Management and through the Tucker County Schools automated call down list.
