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Ice Storm Predicted For Puslinch Tonight – Are You Ready?

Are You Prepared?

See below for tips to keep safe in the event of a major storm event.

A significant freezing rain event will begin this evening.

Significant freezing rain is expected overnight and Thursday.

Periods of rain or wet snow are forecast to begin this afternoon, then change to snow and ice pellets this evening, then to freezing rain around midnight.

Between 10 and 20 mm of ice accumulation are possible on untreated surfaces before the freezing rain changes to rain Thursday afternoon as temperatures rise above zero.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will become icy, slippery and extremely hazardous. Road closures are likely. Beware of branches or electrical wires that could break under the weight of ice. Extended and widespread utility outages are possible.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports to #ONStorm. (original source)

Preparation

Local authorities may at first be overwhelmed at the onset of a disaster and we, as residents must be prepared to take care of ourselves. It is important that all residents check their smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors to ensure they are in working condition.

Preparing Your Family Emergency Plan

Emergencies often require us to stay in place for a couple of days, therefore preparing a 72 hour home
emergency kit is a good idea. Basic kits should include food and water and items required by special need family members and please, don’t forget your pets! Many retailers carry pre-made kits you can purchase however, you can easily prepare your own kit.

The following list of items should be included in a BASIC 72 HOUR EMERGENCY KIT:

  • Water (2 litres/person/day)
  • Non-perishable food items
  • A manual can opener
  • Flashlight/battery
  • Portable radio/batteries
  • First aid kit
  • Extra car keys
  • Cash and coins for pay phones
  • Important personal papers
  • Extra seasonal clothing and footwear
  • Toiletries
  • Analog phone
  • Blankets
  • Medications
  • Whistle
  • Playing cards, games and books

How to Stay Safe During an Ice Storm

For a past storm, we received an emergency preparedness list from Puslinch Fire Chief Steven Goode so we can all do
what we need to be ready in case of extended power outages due to tonight’s forecasted freezing rain
warning.

  • Have battery operated carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. While running generators there
    is the potential for carbon monoxide to seep into the home.
  • Stay inside. Ice from freezing rain can accumulate on branches and power lines that can snap all
    of a sudden.
  • If you do have to go out be aware of trees and power lines above that can break under the
    weight of ice and fall on top of you.
  • Stay away from power lines. A downed wire could be live and you could be electrocuted. Stay
    back at least 10 meters from downed wires or anything they are in contact with.
  • Avoid driving if possible. Even the slightest amount of freezing rain can make the roads
    dangerously slippery. Wait a few hours after the freezing rain ends until maintenance crews
    have spread salt or sand on the roads.

Generators

If there is a power failure and you are using a gas or propane fired generator (or ANY other device that burns any fuel like kerosene heaters or BBQs) NEVER use them inside your house or even inside your garage. Dangerous, DEADLY levels of carbon monoxide will quickly build up within your house. Be sure to properly ground any generators to avoid electric shocks and NEVER pour gasoline into a hot generator. Always let you generator cool for 5-10 minutes before re-filling the gas tank to avoid possible fires from spilled gas.

Pets

If you have pets in your house be sure to also have at least a three day supply of food and medications for them.

Cell Phones

Make sure your cell phones are fully charged BEFORE the power goes out. Go plug them in now. If there is an extended power outage be sure to use them sparingly to conserve battery power. If you have more than one cell phone in the house, keep at most one powered on at any time.

Stay In Touch And Stay Safe

Puslinch Today will do everything we can help facilitate the dissemination of information in case of a severe event. To ensure you are kept up to date be sure to like our Facebook Page here and follow us on Twitter here. Also, check back periodically to PuslinchToday.ca for updates.

PuslinchToday would like to thank Puslinch Fire Chief Steve Goode for providing some of the above information when we were preparing for previous storms in the Puslinch area.

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