Hints to pre pare for cold weather

Keeping a pot of water simmering on the stove adds humidity to the air and helps add warmth. This must be paid attention to but is worth the effort.

Make sure you also stock up on toilet paper and cat litter, keep some newspapers on hand for the doggies. Rock salt and other ice melters can be very bad for pets paws, either from direct contact or from them licking to clean.

Check the batteries in the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors! Have an escape plan including a meeting place for after any emergency. Make sure pet carriers are at the ready. Stock up on pet foods too.

If your insurance allows, get a couple extra doses of meds and keep them in a 'go' bag. Copies of important documents should be kept in the bag as well.

If there is an extreme snowfall, remember to check that your chimney/smoke stack is clear of snow. If you can, check on your elderly neighbors and those living alone. Write down important numbers, in case you can't recharge your phone.

There are a few good suggestions here. Making sure you have adequate medications is a big one so you don't have to run to the store in a snow storm. Of course if you take controlled substances, that may be impossible since you can't fill those ahead of time (depending on your location, some places have some leeway).

Having a cane, walker or other assistive device if you do have to go outside can save you from a nasty fall.

I'm a car guy and wouldn't recommend tire chains though. Everybody in snowy climates should have dedicated snow tires, or at the very least good quality, well-rated all season tires. Snow chains are difficult to install in most cases, especially since they're rarely used so people simply aren't used to putting them on. They also often only give you marginal improvement over your tires without them.

If you have significant physical impairments, I'd highly recommend having a friend or neighbor lined up to shovel a path for you, get your mail, groceries, pick up meds or other errands. I had to take advantage of this several times and it was a lifesaver!

To make me feel better about the nasty winter weather that we sometimes have, I just go to the national weather service 7-Day Forecast page ( I always have it for my area as my home page) then I type in Eielson AFB Alaska ( I spent 4 years there at that base in the mid eighties, it is about 30 miles outside of Fairbanks) Anyway usually after seeing what their weather is, I usually feel allot better about the weather I'm experiencing here! Sometimes I will even check the weather where my daughter is in Minnesota and that makes me feel allot better too! Ha

Stay warm everyone, and have a Merry Merry and a Happy Happy!

White Beard

Thanks for the suggestions. Even when I was a child, the cold was painful to me and I was healthy. Now that I am 63 and have back issues, nerve damage, RA & fibro it causes more problems. But, I'm not complaining. I'm Thankful my situation is no where nearly as bad as most of you have.

I live in Louisiana. Our winters aren't bad compared to other parts of the country. But, the huge temperature drop we had Saturday is something I am still trying to cope with. Several people I know had their a/c on and a few hours later they had to switch to their heat.