5 Home Safety Tips to Prepare for a Blizzard

Are you prepared for a blizzard? Characterized by strong winds, subfreezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, blizzards can be dangerous. They can take out power lines, cause vehicular accidents and impede transportation. While you can't prevent blizzards from striking your area, however, there are ways to prepare for them. Below are five home safety tips to prepare for a blizzard.

#1) Get an Emergency Weather Radio

You can prepare for a blizzard by getting an emergency weather radio. An emergency radio weather is a special type of battery or crank-powered radio that broadcasts local weather updates around the clock. With an emergency weather radio, you'll know what to expect during a blizzard. More importantly, you'll know when you should hunker down and when it's safe to leave your home.

#2) Stock Up on Firewood

Another tip to prepare for a blizzard is to stock up firewood. Assuming your home has a traditional wood-burning fireplace -- not as a gas-burning fireplace -- you can use it as a source of heat during a blizzard. Blizzards may take out power lines, in which case you won't be able to use your home's furnace. But even if you lose power, you can still build fires inside of your fireplace to stay warm. 

#3) Apply De-Icing Salt to Driveway

If there's a blizzard coming your way, you may want to apply de-icing salt to your driveway. Driveways, as well as other paved surfaces, are a serious safety hazard during blizzards. As ice freezes on them, they'll become slippery. And it only takes one wrong step to slip and fall. De-icing salt, however, will raise the freezing point of your driveway so that ice is less likely to form.

#4) Watch the Roof

Don't ignore your roof if a blizzard is heading towards your home. As snow accumulates on the roof, it may jeopardize your home's integrity. Snow is heavy. Over time, the weight of all of the snow sitting on the roof may cause the roof to collapse. If you notice snow building up on the roof, try to remove it.

#5) Make a Blizzard Emergency Kit

Assuming you don't already have you, you should make a blizzard emergency kit. A blizzard emergency kit is simply a package of essential items that can keep you and your family safe during a blizzard. In addition to an emergency weather radio, other items to include in your kit are bottled water, nonperishable food, flashlights, batteries, candles, a lighter, portable cellphone charger and first aid supplies.