As the bulk of winter weather continues, Scott County Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Hennigan recommends that community members focus on protecting themselves during intense weather.
Scott County has been impacted by two major weather events during the past month, including blizzard-like conditions that hit in late December. Many, said Hennigan, were turning to alternative heating sources that he recommends against.
“First and foremost, please don’t (use) alternative heat or electricity sources inside the house. Don’t bring in your barbeque grill, don’t bring the generator in the living room,” said Hennigan. “There’s a lot of people that we’re doing strange things because it was 30 degrees below zero two weeks ago.”
In these conditions, the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) recommends that community members winterize their homes by installing weather stripping, insulating water lines, and cleaning out gutters as well as repairing roof leaks. The agency also recommends making sure that heating systems are clean and working correctly.
To prepare vehicles, NCEH suggest keeping gas tanks full, servicing the vehicle’s radiator, and preparing a winter emergency kit to keep in your vehicle.
Accidents caused by ice and snowy conditions happen the most in Scott County, said Hennigan.
“Four-wheel drive does not suspend the laws of physics,” he said. “If you’re driving on ice in a four-wheel drive you’re still going to slide or have a bad day.”
According to the US Department of Transportation’s Road Weather Management Program website, 24 percent of weather-related accidents occur in icy and snowing conditions. Each year, over 1,300 people are killed by these accidents, reports the agency.
In both icy and flooding conditions, Hennigan recommends that if you don’t have a need to travel, stay home.
“If it’s necessary to go somewhere, slow down significantly, add your following distances, do whatever it takes to be extremely safe on those days,” he said.
During flooding conditions, such as those experienced last week, Hennigan suggests the community members remember to “turn around, don’t drown.”
The Center for Disease Control reports that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a car is driven into flood waters. According to the agency, it takes 12 inches of water to carry away most vehicles, while two feet of water can sweep away SUVs and trucks.
“I still saw a lot of people driving through water that was bumper high, hood high. There’s just no reason for that,” said Hennigan.
Hennigan expects more severe weather in the coming months.
“The climate is definitely changing. Our winter storms are now coming in January and February instead of end of year like they used to be,” he said. “When I was younger, you would expect for all the snow to come in December or maybe January, but now, it’s very common for us to have major snowstorms as late as the middle of March.”
