You don’t need to be an expert in the weather to know when a storm is coming, even if you can’t see the signs in the sky the weather channel should highlight the risk for you. Of course, the fact that you live in an area that’s prone to snowstorms should also help you to be prepared.
That’s the key to dealing with anything, being prepared. Here’s what you can do to ensure you and your home are ready:
Check The Outside
Snow hits your house with a surprising amount of force, it can damage weak walls and, if it starts to build up against them, it will find a channel through. The result will be water ingress into your home which is not something you want to be dealing with.
You need to visually inspect your home and ensure that there are no cracks in the walls or gaps around windows and doors. In fact, you can invest in some vinyl cladding, this will help to protect your walls, insulate your home, and make it look pretty good!
Stock Up
You don’t need to be preparing for the end of the world, but having 3-5 days stock of food will help you to survive if the snowstorm is bad and blocks access to and from your home.
Don’t forget that the average person needs 50 liters of water per day, while it is theoretically possible to melt snow to survive, t will help to have a stockpile of good drinking water.
You should also remember that the power may be out, that means only purchasing food items that can be cooked on the facilities you’ll have left, or don’t need cooking.
Cooking & Heating
You need to have a backup cooker, such as a gas camping stove, and plenty of propane. This will help you to heat food and maintain some normality. In addition, if you currently rely on electricity for your heating you’ll need to consider what alternatives are available. A wood-burning stove is good but a paraffin one will do if necessary. Again, remember you’ll need plenty of fuel for these heat sources.
Don’t assume that because you’re heating is natural gas you’ll be ok, the boiler needs electricity to run and ignite the gas.
Insulate
With limited heating and plenty of snow, it’s going to get cold fast. You need to have a stock of blankets to keep you warm while you wait it out. It’s also a good idea to hang these over windows and doors as this will help to keep the heat in your home.
Get A Radio
You need a battery-powered radio and plenty of spare batteries. This will allow you to keep up with the news and when the weather will change or rescue is likely to arrive. You can take this a step further and get a CB radio to contact others if you wish.
It’s also a good idea to have plenty of games to hand, you may have a lot of time to kill.