Survival guides · Disasters

Winter Storm or Blizzard

WHEN TO USE THISA winter storm is coming or here. Most deaths are car crashes, cold and carbon monoxide.

1. Before it hits

   • Charge everything. Fill the gas tank.
   • Bring in anything outside.
   • 3 days of food that needs no cooking or fridge.
   • Flashlights, batteries, blankets, warm layers for everyone.
   • Fireplace or wood stove? Fuel inside and dry.

2. Stay in, stay warm

   • Stay inside.
   • Power out? Everyone into one room. Close off the rest. (See Weatherproof a Room.)
   • Layers. Eat and drink — staying warm burns calories.
   • Freezing pipes: let faucets drip, open the cabinets under sinks on outside walls.

3. Carbon monoxide kills

   • Never indoors: gas oven, grill, camp stove, generator.
   • Never run the car in a garage — not even with the door open.
   • Fireplace or kerosene heater? Keep air moving in.
   • Headache, dizziness, nausea in more than one person? Get outside now.
   Why

   Carbon monoxide has no smell or color and can kill in minutes. People sick at the same time, in the same room, is the giveaway.

4. Stuck in your car

   • Stay with the car. Rescuers find cars; they don't find people walking in snow.
   • Run the engine 10 minutes an hour for heat. Clear snow from the tailpipe and crack a window.
   • Bright cloth on the antenna. Dome light on at night — briefly, to save the battery.
   • Move your arms and legs. Huddle together.

Sources: FEMA / Ready.gov Winter Storm Safety · National Weather Service Winter Safety

General information to help in an emergency — not a substitute for training or professional care.