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Person from the back bundled up for winter shoveling snow on a driveway.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 15: Care for Your Elders

Mortality rates increase by 15 percent in the winter over summer. Hypothermia, flu, pneumonia, falls, carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires all contribute to the higher rate during colder months. Elderly citizens are more at risk to suffer the consequences of winter weather. Even people as young as 60 years old are susceptible. Do you have elderly neighbors or family members without much support? The best thing you can do for them is make sure they are prepared for winter weather. Here is a checklist of things you can do for the elderly to keep them safe:

Picture shows a herd of deer in the snow.

Hunting and Outdoors

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 14: What is the Best Way to Stay Warm During Late Season Hunts?

Didn’t hit your tags quite yet? To bag those late season bucks, you might be facing down some long hours in bittery cold weather. In order to take your shot, you need to be warm and comfortable in your stand or blind. Dress in or pack in strategic layers and pay special attention to staying dry to avoid the shivers, shakes and chatters affecting your aim. Following this short list of do’s and don’ts will help you tough it out when temperatures fall.

Picture shows a frozen outdoor water pipe.

How-To

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 12: How Do I Prevent My Pipes From Freezing?

When water freezes, it expands, creating pressure between the ice and a closed faucet. The mounting pressure on both copper and plastic pipes can cause a crack or burst, resulting in severe flooding and damage to your home. Pipes can freeze at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the smallest crack in a pipe can spill 250 gallons of water a day. When temps are going to fall, there are a few things you can do to protect your pipes from freezing.

Picture shows a woman bundled up in a coat, sipping a beverage in the snow.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 11: Why You Should Stay Hydrated

Did you know that drinking water is just as important in winter as it is in the summer? In fact, dehydration can come along quicker in winter than summer. Further, we are less likely to reach for a cool, glass of water to regulate our temperature in the winter. Not to mention that dehydration can actually speed up hypothermia. Drinking plenty of water also helps us fight colds and other respiratory illness as well as prevent dry, chapped skin. You need to store at least three days of water for you and your family in preparation for winter storms.

Picture show two young women standing in the snow by a pond with bikinis on.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 10: How to Prevent and Treat Hypothermia

Though a person’s temperature may vary from 97 to 100 degrees—a healthy range—it takes just a few degrees cooler for our bodies to become dangerously too cold to function. When body temperatures fall just 3 degrees under 98.6 to 95 degrees, it is at a risk for hypothermia. Roughly 600 Americans die each year from hypothermia. Fortunately, hypothermia is easily preventable when you follow these tips.

Picture shows a woman setting up a living room fort made with sheets and chairs.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 8: What is a Cold Weather Kit?

Day eight, in 30 days to prepare for winter weather is the day to add essential cold-weather gear to your emergency kit. When the power goes out, so does the heat. A cold-weather kit includes items made specifically to warm up our bodies, including warm layers such as thermal shirts, scarves and beanies to emergency blankets and tents. What do you put in a cold-weather emergency kit? The following six essential items will keep you warm during severe winter weather.

Camping & Survival

30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather Day 7: The Best Flashlights

You may have double-checked your flashlights in early spring to prepare for spring storms, but have they been neglected since? Now is the time to check all your flashlights and candles again to make sure they are in working order. Flashlights come in an exhaustive list of shapes, sizes, functions, features, and lumens. However for power outages, the best flashlights are LEDs (LED bulbs use less battery power than Xenon or incandescent) with multiple power options, such as crank power and battery back-up, are hands free, and provide enough illumination to light up a room. In the case of a power outage, what are the best flashlights? The following are a few of my favorites.