Preparing for Winter V

Cherryfudge

slm6002 said:

Do we think that we will get the extreme cold weather like the USA has recently had.  If so what extra measures should I be preparing for at home please.  I am ready for the usual cold weather the UK gets but I'm thinking we might need extra preparations for extreme temperatures 

I don't know that it will be as much as the States have had, but I keep a few days' worth of emergency foods that I can use if we can't get to the shops. Some of these are extras of the sort of thing I have in the cupboards anyway (baked beans etc) and some are emergency non-cook foods in case the power goes out.

Keeping batteries and a USB power bank (charged up) could be useful, in case there are power outages.

Lag pipes and boilers, cut card to size to go inside window frames... I'm sure there will be lots of other suggestions.

I think at the end of the day if it gets colder, the heating goes on because you can worry about the bills later. There has been a rise in deaths round here (and probably across the country) which is expected after any cold spell: people survive the actual cold but heart and respiratory problems kick in over the following weeks. So look out for older and vulnerable people if you can, or if you are one, perhaps ask the Council if they have a plan whereby someone can help if you need it. I'm sure our Council here has something like that: for instance people delivering library books are trained to look out for signs that something's wrong. Have your Council's emergency number to hand.

Primrose

Well if we suffer to the extremities of the USA all power, including internet could be cut off, and water supplies and pipes frozen. If power is lost for days even freezers will defrost so food would be lost.

some things to think about apart from having the usual supply of candles, torches and batteries.

1. Have some large bottles  of drinking water in the house where they can't freeze.
2. have some tins of easy to eat pre-cooked foods like baked beans, corned beef, salmon and a stock of flour based ready-to-eat products like crackers or crispbreads.
3. If gas supplies are switched off (this would be a last resort as all homes would have to be individually reconnected by engineers to avoid the potential risk of explosions) do you have a camping stove and some spare gas canisters?
4. Delicate topic but essential to deal with if all your pipes freeze. You might not  be able to flush your toilet for several days..  Do you have a spare bucket (preferably with a lid) " in which to go" and a stock of newspapers for clearing up the mess? And a bottle of disinfectant?
5. Check your home cover insurance now and see what protection you have for burst pipes, etc.
6.  Have a good stock of salt for De-icing  any pathway from house to garage, if you have one, if you need access for emergency tools or items.
7. Check weather forecast daily for your area. Charge up phones and electronic devices.  Bring any emergency items like wellington boots, snow shovel etc into the house in advance of them being needed. If heavy snow or icestorm  is forecast, fill any thermos flasks you have with boiling water in advance in case all power is lost
8. to keep warm, borrow spare duvets, blankets etc from any unused beds so you have. Multiple layers to cover yourself snd keep warm. 

9.  Do you have adequate supplies of any essential medication?

10. Hold an advance brainstorming session with other family members to try and think of any special issues your specific  household may have (like pet rabbits normally housed outside) which will have to be protected and brought indoors  in advance. 30 minutes of careful advanced planning will reduce the stress of having to respond to such emergencies.
11. How will you check on any vulnerable/elderly neighbours living alone nearby?

Perhaps  somebody else can think of other items I,ve missed ?

Laura_Elsewhere

I'm not a meteorologist, but I do read weathergeek forums, and nobody there is expecting anything like the American cold here - in fact "mild and wet" is the current outlook for much of January... 

So, whilst it's definitely sensible to be prepared, and whilst weather is never definite in this island til it lands on your head, so to speak, it really doesn't look at all likely that the N.American cold is coming this way. 

slm6002

Thank you to you all.  We are fairly well prepared so I guess it was the fact that one day (not necessarily this storm coming) we might end up with those extreme temperature, because I am sure the USA didn't think it would happen.  I just wonder how we and the house would fair and if I could do anything else to my normal preps.

Cherryfudge

slm6002 said:

I just wonder how we and the house would fair and if I could do anything else to my normal preps.

I think there are things people can do longer term to improve their safety and security against what are now predicted to be more common extremes of weather. I thought we were 'all right' till  couple of years ago when our trees grew just a little taller and the tops were sufficiently proud of the rooves to catch the wind. I filmed a spectacular moment as the wind caught the end of the row and the tree whipped about like something out of a cartoon. We then got a tree surgeon to shorten them so the neighbours wouldn't end up with a garden full of tree. The trees also provided a bit of shade for the house during last year's heat wave, but by then I knew how dry the ground was and that there was a fire risk. I'd advocate longer term having trees if possible: they are also a cooling factor which mitigates against climate change.

Houses: I was at work overnight during one of last year's storms and we lost a lot of roof tiles. I don't think that was foreseeable as the building is sheltered by a bigger building, but any older property might need a check: how secure are your roof, fences, garage/shed, older trees? Are drains clear? Are outside pipes lagged/isolated? Are loose items like trampolines put away or made secure? 

For those at risk of flooding, you probably know who you are. If you moved to your house since about 2000, what was happening twenty years ago? That won't show up on a vendor's declaration but there may have been flood damage in the past.

Things like insulation, extra layers on windows, draught excluder are all well documented but worth thinking about before next winter if you haven't already. So are health and safety measures such as torches and alternative heat sources, reliable smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, checking the condition of electrics and planning how to deal with damp.

There must be a lot more: it sounds as though I'm starting on the 2023 winter list!

Floss

Cherryfudge said:

slm6002 said:

I just wonder how we and the house would fair and if I could do anything else to my normal preps.

For those at risk of flooding, you probably know who you are. If you moved to your house since about 2000, what was happening twenty years ago? 

Flood risk reports can be obtained as part of conveyancing when buying a home, along with environmental reports from your water authority.

You can also request information on the flooding history of any property in England (if they have it) from:
https://www.gov.uk/request-flooding-history

Laura_Elsewhere

slm6002 said:

Thank you to you all.  We are fairly well prepared so I guess it was the fact that one day (not necessarily this storm coming) we might end up with those extreme temperature, because I am sure the USA didn't think it would happen.  I just wonder how we and the house would fair and if I could do anything else to my normal preps.

Well, forecasters were warning about the extreme cold for quite some time before it hit… it didn’t evolve overnight like a few weather events can do- cold like that can only happen afaik by air masses pushing south from the Arctic, and that can’t move all that quickly. 

Uniscots97

Something I've just thought of is alternative transport means if there's a storm/snow etc. whether you rely on a car or not make sure you have numbers for taxi firms, bus timetables or even a bike! Oh and a little tip, when there was a bad snow storm in the 80's I remember my Gran using my sledge to carry her food shopping through the snow! 

Cherryfudge

Uniscots97 said:

Oh and a little tip, when there was a bad snow storm in the 80's I remember my Gran using my sledge to carry her food shopping through the snow! 

I remember my Mum telling me the Doctor visited patients by skiing! I think that would have been 1963, the cold winter with months of snow.

Eenymeeny

Alternative transport planning. Councils are obliged to keep bus routes clear as much as possible, by gritting, snow plough etc. If your car is trapped in by snow, maybe a walk to the nearest bus route would mean that you can make progress by bus, taxi, or shank's's pony?. Maybe a kind friend could pick you up from there   We were once cut off for five days on a modern estate but the works van picked me up on the ring road.