Are you and your family prepared in the event of a serious winter storm? Depending on where you live, storms during the colder months can get dangerous. Inches of snow, sleet, and hail along with severely cold temperatures could leave you stranded in your house for days – sometimes without water or electricity. Your family’s survival depends on preparation. With the right home improvements, food, supplies, and other resources on hand you can weather the storm.
Your home needs to be a safe haven for you to retreat to when there’s bad weather. It needs to be structurally sound, safe, and comfortable while also being stocked with food, clothes, and other supplies. Should the pipes freeze or the power go out, you and your family will need to withstand the circumstances until the storm passes.
If you’re worried about having enough cash to get the necessary steps done, you can always apply for month to month installment loans to tide you over. If approved, you could receive as much as $1250 to use towards preparing your family and house for the storms that may lie ahead. Below are some things to add to your to-do list.
- Winterize Your Home – Your home needs to be efficient – especially during the winter. Take a tour of your house for cracks, holes, or gaps around windows and doors. These are airways in which heat can escape and cold air can enter your home. This causes you to crank up your heat and, should the power go out, cause you to get cold very quickly. You can easily winterize your home with plastic window kits, caulk, weatherstripping, door sweeps, and insulation.
- Create a Stockpile – If there’s a state of emergency, chances are you’re not going to be able to get out of the house to grab food and other supplies. Therefore, you want to have a stockpile in the house. This not only pertains to food, but other items like candles, batteries, flashlights, blankets, and matches. When shopping for food, remember to get things that would be easy to prepare without electricity and that won’t go bad if the power goes out. Canned goods (with easy open tops) like soup, beans, veggies, and fruit are your best bet.
- Consider Backup Items – If the storm is strong enough to knock out power, you’ll need to be prepared to survive. Some backup items you should have on hand include a grill, portable generator, and kerosene heaters.
- Winter Storm Supplies – You’ll need to keep your home and the property surrounding it clean and safe throughout the storm. Make sure that you have supplies on hand like shovels, snow blowers, and salt to help melt the ice.
The winter is one of the coldest, harshest seasons of the year. Its heavy storms can wreak havoc on a home and leave you stranded for a long period of time. You may not be able to change the conditions outside but you can be prepared. Completing the above-mentioned steps will ensure that your home is efficient and comfortable and that you have plenty of food, supplies, and other resources to keep you safe.
