Last weekend’s arctic blast likely won’t be the last this winter, and Lexington’s Emergency Management Division is offering tips on how to stay safe and warm. Emily Fay is the department’s public information officer. She said preparing properly can keep pipes from freezing and bursting.
“If you're leaving your house for the time and the duration of the really cold, open those doors, make sure there's air circulating, maybe even leave the faucets dripping, you can leave the faucets dripping out of the pipes, just a little bitty drop to keep that water flowing and prevent it from becoming still and then freezing.”
Fay says pipes exposed outside can be wrapped in insulation – and if you don't have insulation, you can use towels. Power outages caused by high winds and ice storms are another winter threat many battle with fuel-powered generators. Fay said using them the right way prevents illness and death.
“Make sure it is venting to the outside, it's stationed outside. The biggest goal here is to make sure those exhaust fumes and the carbon monoxide do not stay or enter your home. Same concept with space heaters -- you want to make sure it's vented properly and there's no risk of fire or the fumes coming back in.”
According to the U.S. Product Safety Commission, each year about 100 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by portable generators and another 80 in fires caused by space heaters.
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