While winter storms are generally less deadly than hurricanes and heat waves, they can be extremely dangerous, particularly when extremely cold, wind, and ice storms cause power outages. But with a little preparation and common sense, you should be all right when it gets extra snowy and cold. Here are some tips and instructions for blizzard and winter storm survival.
Who is the winter storm likely to affect?
Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationFor a winter storm, you want to prepare for a few cold days without power. You should have a basic survival bag tucked away in an easy-to-access spot in your house for any disaster. According to the government, a boilerplate emergency kit will contain:
Extra cell phone battery or charger
Flashlight and extra batteries
Whistle to signal for help
Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Can opener (if your kit contains canned food)
Extra clothing and blankets (although I bet you already know where these are in your home)
Stay home
If you only follow one rule for blizzard survival, make it this one: Do not be outside during a winter storm. If you’re home, you probably won’t be snowbound for more than a week (and even that is unlikely), and you’ll be much warmer than if you were outside.
Stay inside.
Be able to access multiple sources of information about the weather, from the internet, to television, to radio, and make sure you can get updates even if the power goes out.
Stay in a small, insulated area: To conserve heat, stay in one room as much as possible.
Be careful with alternative heaters like kerosene. They can start a fire, and if not properly ventilated, you can die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Cover windows at night but uncover them during day to catch any heat from sunlight.
As cold weather approaches, you may hear difference kinds of buzzwords for approaching storms on your NOAA weather radio and from other sources. Here’s a crash course on the relevant winter weather warnings from the National Weather Service, and what they mean, with the most severe listed first.
Blizzard Warning: A blizzard warning means that the following conditions are occurring or expected within the next 12 to 18 hours: Snow and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less for three hours or longer, and sustained winds of 35 mph or greater or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater.
Watches
Watches are intended to provide enough lead time so you can make plans to stay safe. They are usually issued a day or so before the predicted event when there’s a greater than 50% chance of it happening.
Blizzard Watch: This means conditions are favorable for a blizzard event—low visibility with winds of at least 35 mph.
Advisories
What to do if you are caught in your car during a blizzard or snowstorm
Being trapped in your car during a snow-mergency is bad, but not necessarily deadly. Here’s a detailed trapped-in-your-car survival guide, but here are the main points:
Make sure your tailpipe is not clogged: When you first realize you are trapped, check the exhaust pipe to make sure it’s clear. You don’t want to die of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Stay in your vehicle: A car is an excellent survival shelter—a guy in Sweden survived in his car for two months, and he didn’t even seem to have had food or water. It is a bad idea to go walking around in a blizzard. You will get lost, cold, wet, and maybe even hit by another driver.
Create as small a space as possible: If you have blankets or jackets, create a little “fort” for yourself. A smaller space is easier to heat. You could try lining the windows with newspaper or those discarded fast food bags you never cleaned up.
Don’t play on your phone: I know it’s boring to sit in the car for so long, but only use your cell to call emergency numbers. Don’t be surprised if the authorities tell you to “sit tight,” though.
What to do if you are caught outside during a blizzard
So you didn’t listen when I said to stay home, huh? Now you’re stumbling blindly through a snowstorm and freezing to death. I won’t sugar coat it: things are bad for you, and your survival depends on the severity of the storm. But here’s what to do:
Cover up your exposed flesh: I imagine this would occur to you anyway, but just in case it doesn’t, cover up as much as possible to stay warm and avoid frostbite.
Melt snow for water: Melting snow for water is OK, but don’t eat it frozen—that will lower your body temperature.
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