Gov. Phil Murphy’s office issued a press release encouraging New Jersey residents to be prepared for the cold weather. The way to avoid frostbite and hypothermia is to plan for extreme cold before it arrives. Don’t get caught unprepared Murphy stated.• If possible, adjust your schedule to avoid being outside during the coldest part of the day, typically the early morning. Try to find a warm spot for your children while waiting for the school bus outside.
• If you have pets or farm animals, make sure they have plenty of food and water, and are not overly exposed to extreme cold. If you’re cold, they’re cold. Bring them inside. For more info visit animalemergency.nj.gov.
• Take precautions to ensure your water pipes do not freeze. Know where the main shut off is located so you can turn off water to the house if you have a burst pipe. A trickle of water at the highest point in your house could prevent pipes from freezing.
• Make sure your car or vehicle has at least a half a tank of gas during extreme cold situations so that you can stay warm if you become stranded. Be sure to have an emergency kit for your vehicle.
• Check 511nj.org for traffic updates during your morning and evening commute.
• Dress for cold weather in layers, even if you think you won’t be outside very long.
• Be a good neighbor. Check on those vulnerable to the cold weather. Visithttps://www.nj211.org/index.php/nj-warming-centers or call NJ 2-1-1 for assistance finding a warming center near you.
• Know how to contact your local power company to report an outage or downed power line. For Public Utilities Information including outage maps visit http://ready.nj.gov/plan-prepare/public-utilities.shtml
• Learn more about how to prepare your family for winter emergencies by visiting http://ready.nj.gov/plan-prepare/winter.shtml.
