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Winter 2022 - Residents Urged to Prepare in Advance

Posted on: January 14, 2022 - 2:00pm

With the 2022 winter season well underway, the Town of Simsbury’s emergency management team strongly encourages residents to prepare for cold weather, winter storms, and power outages. 

STORM PREPARATION:
Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking and weather stripping. Keep your thermostat set at a steady temperature. If you have ceiling fans, run them in the clockwise direction to push warm air back down to the floor. Block drafts with pool noodles, towels, or blankets.  Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.

Secure supplies such as food, cash, water, medicines and batteries. Create an emergency supply kit for your car; include jumper cables, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable snacks. Keep a full tank of gas. For additional resources on winter storm preparation, visit: https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

POWER OUTAGE INFORMATION:
Keep all devices charged, and keep surge protectors on sensitive electronics.  If your home is serviced by a well, be sure to fill reserve water supplies. 

For residents using generators, take care to ensure that they are installed and functioning properly.  Tips for generator safety can be found here; Eversource offers the following suggestions:

  • Always run the generator outdoors and as far from the house as possible.
  • Make sure the generator is kept away from doors, windows and air vents to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Installing a carbon monoxide detector in your home can help warn you of a buildup of these toxic fumes.
  • Gasoline is highly flammable. Be sure that the generator is turned off before adding fuel.

To report power outages, call Eversource at 800-286-2000 or report the outage on the Eversource website.

PARKING & ROAD CONDITIONS:
Parking on public roadways is prohibited when snow operations are in progress.  Residents are reminded to keep garbage and recycling cans out of the road to ensure that snow plows have clear road access. In order to ensure that fire department personnel can respond in the event of an emergency, residents are asked to clear snow away from fire hydrants.

Respect road closure signs. Do not remove any barricades that are posted during storm events in order to maintain safety around downed trees or power lines.  If you encounter any fallen power lines, keep a safe distance to avoid live wires.   

EMERGENCY INFORMATION:
In order to receive information in the event of an emergency, sign up for the Town of Simsbury’s “News and Announcements,” its “Community Alerts” and the State-wide emergency alert system, “CT Alert.”  You can sign up by visiting the Town of Simsbury’s website at www.simsbury-ct.gov/alerts.  In addition, tune into WSIM 103.5FM radio for emergency information and updates.