Over the last five years weather events and injuries have increased. The largest number of reported injuries resulted from tornadoes, ice storms, and thunderstorms and wind. If you do not have to go outdoors the best advice is to stay inside and curl up with a good movie or book.
Cold Weather Safety
Prepare for a Winter Storm During extremely cold weather or winter storms, staying warm and safe can be a challenge. Winter storms can bring cold temperatures, power failures, loss of communication services, and icy roads. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe, you should know how to prepare your home and your car before a winter storm hits.
Stay Safe During & After a Winter Storm Winter storms are dangerous. They can bring cold temperatures, power failures, loss of communication services, and icy roads. This can make being outside dangerous, so you should limit your time outside. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce the risk of car crashes and falls on the ice, you may also face hazards inside your home.
Prevent Hypothermia & Frostbite Hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) and frostbite are both dangerous conditions that can happen when a person is exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Stay safe this winter by learning more about hypothermia and frostbite, including who is most at risk, signs and symptoms, and what to do if someone develops hypothermia or frostbite.
Bring Your Pets Indoors
If you have pets, bring them indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they have access to unfrozen water.
Pets and animals are impacted by emergencies. It is critical to include their needs in your family’s preparedness efforts.
Avoid Injuries While Enjoying the Winter Weather
Whether you are skiing, snowboarding, sledding or skating, take safety precautions such as learning basic skills and using the appropriate gear for the sport.
In addition to annual maintenance, here are some tips to winterize your car:
Test your battery; battery power drops as the temperature drops
Make sure the cooling system is in good working order
Have winter tires with a deeper, more flexible tread put on your car
If using all-season tires, check the tread on your tires and replace if less than 2/32 of an inch
Check the tire pressure; tire pressure drops as the temperature drops
Check your wiper blades and replace if needed
Add wiper fluid rated for -30 degrees
Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze
The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
Use first aid to help someone who may have hypothermia or frostbite. Online and classroom courses are available at workplaces and other organizations through National Safety Council (NSC). Download the NSC first aid app and you will be ready to give first aid for frostbite, hypothermia and many other emergencies.
Always use caution while fishing or recreating on ice.
How can you tell if ice is safe? There are no guarantees. Always consider ice to be potentially dangerous. You can't judge ice conditions by appearance or thickness alone; many other factors like water depth, size of waterbody, water chemistry, currents, snow cover, age of ice, and local weather conditions impact ice strength.
Ice tips to remember:
New ice is stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.
Ice doesn't freeze uniformly. Continue to check ice conditions frequently as you venture out onto the ice.
Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often more dangerous. Avoid traveling onto ice-bound rivers and streams, as the currents make ice thickness unpredictable. Many lakes and ponds may contain spring holes and other areas of currents that can create deceptively dangerous thin spots.
Before heading out onto the ice
Tell someone your plans, including where you are going and when you expect to return.
Come prepared. Carry a cell phone in case of emergency. Always carry ice picks and rope with you on the ice. In case of emergency, drive the nails into the ice and pull yourself to safety while kicking (see tips for falling in below).
Wear your life jacket. If you fall in, a life jacket will keep you at the surface and can provide insulation against the effects of cold water.
Ice thickness guidelines
The guidelines below are for clear, blue ice on lakes and ponds. White ice or snow ice is only about half as strong as new clear ice and can be very treacherous. Use an ice chisel, auger, or cordless drill to make a hole in the ice and determine its thickness and condition. Bring a tape measure to check ice thickness at regular intervals.
Ice Thickness (inches)
Permissible Load (on new clear/blue ice on lakes or ponds)
2" or less
STAY OFF!
4"
Ice fishing or other activities on foot
5"
Snowmobile or ATV
8"–12"
Car or small pickup truck
12"–15"
Medium truck
If you fall in:
Don't panic: Call for help if there are people nearby.
Don't remove winter clothing: Air trapped in your clothes can provide warmth and help you float.
Turn the direction you came from: Ice you previously walked on should be the safest.
Place your hands and arms on an unbroken surface and kick your legs: If you have ice picks or a pair of nails, use them to pull yourself up onto the ice while kicking.
Lie flat and roll away: Once your torso is on firm ice, roll toward thicker ice to distribute your weight.
Find shelter and get warm: Change out of wet clothing and find warm, dry coverings.If you are in a remote area, get to or start a campfire. Otherwise, get to a car or house. Seek medical advice from your physician for medical attention.
If someone else falls in:
Remember the phrase "Preach-Reach-Throw-Go."
Preach: Call 911 if you can. Shout to the victim to reassure them help is on the way.
Reach: If you can safely reach them from shore, extend an object like a rope, jumper cables, tree branch, or ladder to them.
Throw: Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim.
Go: If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform a rescue, call 911 or go to find help. Untrained rescuers can become victims themselves.
If a pet falls in:
Do not attempt to rescue the pet, go find help. Well-meaning pet owners can easily become victims themselves when trying to assist their pets. Remember to always keep pets leashed while walking on or near ice.
The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program, or EPAP, helps people in a federally-identified disaster area who do not have health insurance get the prescription drugs, vaccinations, medical supplies, and equipment that they need. This program helps people and communities better cope with a disaster and reduces stress on the healthcare system.
People who are eligible for EPAP can file a claim at more than 72,000 retail pharmacies across the United States and its territories for prescription items that were lost, stolen, or destroyed because of a disaster.
If you have questions about using EPAP during a disaster, call the EPAP Hotline at 1-855-793-7470.
Write down your specific needs, limitations, capabilities, and medications. Keep this list near you always–perhaps in your purse or wallet.
Find someone nearby (a spouse, roommate, friend, neighbor, relative, or co-worker) who will agree to assist you in case of an emergency. Give him or her a copy of your list. You may also want to provide a spare key to your home, or directions to find a key.
Keep aware of weather conditions through whatever means are accessible to you. Some options are closed captioning or scrolled warnings on TV, radio bulletins, or call-in weather information lines.
A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.
Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the items on the checklist below. Most of the items are inexpensive and easy to find, and any one of them could save your life. Headed to the store? Download a printable version to take with you. Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what unique needs your family might have, such as supplies for pets, or seniors.
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper to disinfect water
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles.
Home: Keep this kit in a designated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.
Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “grab and go” case.
Vehicle: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.
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When available, we provide all our content with a Spanish version in our public download section. You can find additional material from sources listed in all our articles.
Educational Materials
Download Emergency Preparedness, People with Special Needs, Ready Wrigley, Natural Disasters and Severe Weather Activities
Seven animal heroes called the "Danger Rangers," their robot Fallbot, and their artificial intelligence called SAVO teach children about safety through examples, such as environmental hazards and unsafe places.
When The Sky Turns Gray - Winter Preparedness Animated Video 
A Family Communication Plan - Spanish Version 
Presentation for Seniors and People with Disabilities Power Point 
Hiking and Camping Picture Checklist Emergency Preparedness Kit Image 