Keep Facility Inhabitants Safe During a Snowstorm

After a winter storm in the Northeast dropped more than 30 inches of snow in Massachusetts and nearly 25 inches of snow in New York over the weekend, facility managers worked to keep people warm following power failures resulting from the storm’s strong winds, NBC news reports.

Another large winter storm system is in the works this week, with 31 million people under winter alerts stretching from Colorado to Michigan.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers best practices to keep facilities safe and warm during power failures caused by winter storms:

• For light, use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns rather than candles.
• Place generators at least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent and in a space where rain and snow will not reach them.
• Protect residents from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning by installing a battery-operated CO detector.
• Never use generators, gas or charcoal grills, camp stoves, or similar devices inside a building, in basements, in garages, or near windows. The fumes are deadly.
• Plug in appliances to the generator using individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cords.
• Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet.
• Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.

To conserve heat inside the building:

• Avoid unnecessarily opening doors or windows.
• Close off unneeded rooms.
• Stuff towels or rags in cracks under doors.
• Close draperies or cover windows with blankets at night.