Last Updated on January 18, 2024 5:57 pm
Watauga County Emergency Services is closely monitoring the continued winter weather
including the low temperature and wind chill along with related impacts to transportation,
utilities, and other critical infrastructure.
The safest place to be during wintry weather is inside. Check on relatives, neighbors, and friends,
particularly if they are elderly or live alone. Also don’t forget your pets that may not be
accustomed to this type of weather. Be aware of the wind chill, dress appropriately and avoid
staying in the cold too long. Wear a hat and gloves when appropriate with layers of clothing. Get
out of the cold immediately if the signals of hypothermia or frostbite appear.
- When it comes to being safe at home, don’t forget these tips:
- Keep clothing, paper, and other combustibles away from heating appliances, this is a leading cause of fire in cold weather
- If you are using fossil fuels such as oil, propane, etc, be sure to also have a carbon
- monoxide detector
- Be careful to secure any heating lamps or other devices used to keep livestock warm.
- Many fires have been caused by animals tipping over lamps or pushing hay too close to
- the heat source
- Never run a generator indoors, and if you run a generator make sure to turn off your main breaker to prevent back feeding which can injure or kill those working to restore the power
- Let your faucets drip to prevent freezing, but if your pipes freeze do not use any open flames such as torches to thaw pipes
