AMARILLO, TEXAS -- With snow on the way, the City of Amarillo is urging all Amarilloans to get ready for storm. The city said they have implemented its standard plans and is prepared to respond to conditions as they change. City street crews are prepared with salt mixtures and snow plows until the storm passes. They city offered the following tips to stay safe.
-Stay indoors and dress warmly. Set your heater to 68° F to conserve energy.
-If you have pets, bring them indoors.
-If you must go outdoors, dress warmly and wear loose-fitting, layered, lightweight clothing. Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia. Frostbite can occur within 30 minutes.
-Use safety-approved heaters. Do not use cooking appliances or grills as a heat source.
-If using space heaters, keep everything at least 3 feet away from the space heater. Only use appropriately rated electrical cords for heaters.
-Have adequate supplies to sustain you and your family for 72-hours in the event of power outages.
-Prepare disaster supplies, such as a battery operated flashlight, battery powered NOAA All-Hazard Radio, portable radio, first aid kit, extra food, water, medicine, and baby items, heating fuel (propane, kerosene, fuel oil, etc...), camp stoves and an emergency heating source.
-Avoid frozen pipes.
-Make sure water pipes in unheated parts of your home are insulated.
-Leave cabinets and vanity doors open so the heat can get to the pipes.
-Consider letting your faucet drip. Moving water is harder to freeze. Wasting a little water for a short time can prevent a major pipe breakage.
-Advise all household members where the main water shutoff valve is located in case of an emergency.
-Make sure hoses are disconnected from outside faucets and insulate the faucet if possible.
-Make certain homes with Pier & Beam/crawl space foundation vents are closed or insulated to prevent cold air infiltration.
-If you have a frozen pipe:
-NEVER thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame. You may start a fire!
-Use hot air from a hair dryer, the exhaust from a vacuum cleaner, heat lamps, heat tape, or electric heaters to thaw a frozen pipe.