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Northeast winters are a frigid force to be reckoned with—and this year is no exception. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting that this winter will be brutally cold and wet with copious amounts of snow rain, sleet, and ice.

With winter right around the corner, it’s crucial to ensure your home remains safe, secure, and functioning during a power outage. Blizzards, snowstorms, hailstorms, ice storms, and dangerously low temperatures can easily cause prolonged power outages.

During an outage, your home or business is put in a precarious position. Without heat, lights, refrigeration, alarms, and electricity, lives are put at risk and essential facility operations are compromised.

 

Here’s how you can preemptively prepare for emergencies and ensure your home or business stays safe, secure, and heated this winter.

 

Winterize Your Home

Weatherproofing your home or business is crucial when preparing for the colder winter months.

Most winterizing projects require little expertise and offer significant benefits during a power outage. Winterizing is an inexpensive way to:

• Combat the cold
• Increase the comfort of your home or business
• Preserve heat during an outage
• Save money on energy bills

 

Ensure your home or business is well-insulated, secure, and weatherproofed by:

• Installing weather strips, insulation, and storm windows
• Cleaning gutters and downspouts
• Insulating your exterior walls’ water lines
• Applying caulk and weather-stripping to draft areas and gaps where cold are can come in
• Ensuring you have a reliable back up electrical supply and emergency power plan

 

Stock Up on Emergency Equipment and Essentials

The average power outage lasts roughly 2 to 5 hours, but the Northeast is no stranger to winter storms that keep electricity out for days at a time.

Stay prepared during a prolonged power outage by stocking up on essential items and emergency equipment well in advance.

Keep the most essential items on hand for winter emergencies, including:

• Supply of non-perishable food items
• Plenty of clean drinking water (at least 1 gallon per person per day is recommended by the Red Cross)
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• At least one flashlight
• A set of glow sticks
• Plenty of extra batteries
• A well-stocked first aid kit
• A box of waterproof matches
• A fully charged back-up cell phone charger (if available)
• A 3-6-day supply of medications (per individual)

For a comprehensive list of essential items you should have readily accessible in your home, business, or facility during a power outage, check out our Emergency Checklist for Winter Weather.

It’s important to make sure these items are stored in a designated area or kit so they are easily accessible in an emergency.

 

Purchase a Battery-Powered Radio (and Batteries)

As you know, television and cable news are unavailable during an outage and cellphones are rendered useless without a backup electrical supply a charge.

It’s crucial to have a battery-powered radio—and plenty of batteries—to keep up with important emergency and power updates. A radio will allow you to stay informed and alert with local or nationwide evacuation orders and significant status updates during inclement weather.

 

Create an Emergency Backup Power Plan

Don’t wait until harsh elements strike to form a plan. Guarantee you’re ready for extreme winter weather by developing an emergency backup power plan ahead of time.

Ensure your home or business is safe, secure, and functional during a prolonged power outage by investing in a standby generator.

Unlike backup or portable generators, standby generators are permanent installations that start up automatically to supply electricity as soon as an outage occurs. Standby generators provide a reliable source of power with minimal to no disruptions for hours—even days—at a time.

National Standby offers free generator assessments to help you find the right generator for your home or business. Get in touch today and one of our factory-trained, expert technicians will help you find the perfect generator for your unique power needs.

Already have a standby generator? Ensure your generator is primed to perform at any time with routine professional maintenance. Our Annual Service Contract allows you to avoid future crises and keep your generator at peak performance.

 

 

Kristopher Schwind is the proud owner of National Standby Repair.