While it’s impossible to fully prepare for unexpected winter weather, it’s never a bad idea to have a basic plan in place. Gathering supplies, reinforcing your home and incorporating best practices is a great start to handling unexpected winter weather. Learn how you can best prepare for unexpected weather with our preparation tips.
Emergency Weather Kit
An emergency kit, whether it’s for your home or car, holds all of the essentials you need in an emergency. Finding help, treating wounds and having access to necessary resources is critical following an emergency or natural disaster.
For your winter emergency kit, you may want to include:
- A basic first-aid kit
- Extra blankets
- A flashlight
- Batteries
- Snacks and bottled water
- Disposable hand warmers
- Warm clothes
- Jumper cables
Items in your kit may vary based on where your emergency kit is located, like your home, vehicle or office.
Protecting Your Home
Up to 30% of heat can be lost through damaged windows and doors, emphasizing the importance of properly sealing your home. Gaps from pipes, wiring or improper installation jobs allow your heat or air conditioning to escape. Repairs can only do so much—especially if the frames of your windows and doors are damaged or warped. If this is the case, heat will continue to escape your home until you update your home’s exterior products with new, energy-efficient replacements.
Safe Winter Driving
For northern states, winter tires are common for shortening braking distances or providing extra traction in snowy conditions. Winter temperatures in Texas rarely dip below freezing, so while snow tires may not be necessary for your vehicle, we recommend taking extra safety precautions while driving. Be aware of roads with low visibility and watch out for black ice, slick roads and freezing rain.
Winterizing Outdoor Spaces
Getting your home ready for winter weather involves your outdoor spaces too! Winterizing your home prevents damage to your water pipes, irrigation, outdoor tools and HVAC systems. Aim to winterize your home and outdoor spaces before the first “hard freeze” to minimize damage.
Power Outage Preparedness
Having access to electricity, refrigeration and heat is crucial in case of a winter weather emergency. Depending on their size, backup generators and solar chargers can energy to your home for days at a time, so be sure to thoroughly explore alternative energy sources to find the best solution for your home.
Prepare Your Home with Window World of Dallas-Fort Worth
Extreme winter weather is uncommon, but not unheard of in Dallas, Texas. Exterior home products from Window World of Dallas-Fort Worth are built with quality weatherstripping for superior durability, making it a great choice for all extreme weather. Get your home winter-ready for the upcoming season by requesting your free estimate today.