From The News Desk Of Brian Harrod: YONKERS NEWSWIRE Heavy snow expected In Yonkers.

 

From The News Desk Of Brian Harrod.... YONKERS NEWSWIRE Heavy snow expected In Yonkers Total snow accumulations of 14 to 18 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. From Sunday January 31st till 6 AM Tuesday February 2nd. Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. Blizzard like conditions possible Monday and Monday evening. IMPORTANT NUMBERS: Yonkers Police Non-emergency: 914-377-7900 Con Ed Emergency: 1-800-752-6633 Mayors Help Line: 914-377-4357 Storm Preparedness & Safety Tips BEFORE THE STORM STRIKES: Preparation makes life easier during power interruptions. If a severe storm has been forecast, consider these suggestions: - Have flashlights, a battery-operated radio or television and fresh batteries handy. - If you must use candles, please be careful and keep them far away from children and flammable materials. - Store adequate supplies of non-perishable food that need not be refrigerated. - Make sure you have a manual can opener. - Have bottled water for drinking and cooking. - If an electric pump supplies your water, fill bathtubs and other containers to ensure there is adequate water for washing and toilets. - Set freezer and refrigerator controls to their coldest setting to extend the length of time the food will keep. - Unplug sensitive electronic equipment – televisions, microwave ovens and computers – that could be damaged by lightning or sudden power surges. - Have a working telephone. Note: Cordless and digital phones will probably not work during a power interruption. Ensure your cell phone is fully charged. - Know how to manually operate your garage door if you have an electric garage door opener. - If someone in your home depends on life-sustaining equipment powered by electricity, call ConEd and let them know. It’s your responsibility to provide an emergency power source during any unplanned power interruption. - You should also have a back-up evacuation plan. IF YOUR POWER IS INTERRUPTED: - Check with your neighbors to see if their power is out. If it isn’t, double check your own circuit breakers or fuse box to ensure you haven’t simply blown a fuse or tripped a breaker. - If power is out to your neighborhood, call ConEd. - Listen to the radio for weather and news updates. (If you don’t have a battery-powered radio, briefly use your car radio.) - Turn off all major appliances, such as air conditioners, electric water heaters, water pumps, refrigerators and freezers.Otherwise circuits may overload when repair crews restore your service. Some appliances have “off” settings or need to be unplugged. You can turn others off by removing the proper fuse or turning off the correct circuit breaker. Leave a light turned on so that you will know when power is restored. - Avoid “peeking” into your refrigerator or freezer. If the door is kept shut, food will stay cold or frozen longer. - Stay far away and tell others to stay away from downed power lines. Even lines that look harmless may be extremely dangerous. Call ConEd and 911 immediately to report any downed lines. - NEVER enter a flooded basement. Call ConEd immediately about what must be done to safely restore service to your home, don’t ever attempt to do it yourself. - ConEd is responsible for repairs from the utility pole to the connectionat your home. You are responsible for any repairs from the connection to the meter. If you suspect damage between the connection and the meter, call a licensed electrician so that repairs can be made before our crews attempt to restore your service. - NEVER use a natural gas oven for heating and never use charcoal indoors for cooking or heating. In either case, carbon monoxide poisoning could occur. - During an extended power interruption, stay at another location (with a relative, friend, or neighbor who has electricity). You may want to consider going to a hotel or an emergency shelter. - To avoid hypothermia, wear layers of clothes and a hat. Use blankets. Hypothermia, caused by exposure to cold, lowers your body temperature and can seriously threaten your health. Infants and the elderly are especially at risk. Warning signs of hypothermia include slurred speech, drowsiness and disorientation. - If you use an alternate-heating source, such as a fireplace, wood stove or kerosene heater, be sure to provide adequate ventilation. Otherwise, carbon monoxide poisoning could occur. - NEVER burn trash or plastic. Burn only seasoned wood in a fireplace. - Use a fireplace screen. Keep the damper open. - Shut doors to unused rooms and close the drapes to retain heat. - Let water trickle from faucets to avoid frozen or burst pipes. - Clear snow and ice away from dryer and other appliance vents. - Check on your neighbors, especially if they are elderly and live alone. IF YOU USE A GENERATOR: - Operate your generator outdoors in a clean, dry, well-ventilated area, and never indoors or in a garage. - Make sure all electrical connections comply with National Electric Code. - Never connect a generator to an existing wiring system without an automatic transfer switch. - Never overload your generator with too many appliances. - Never let children play near a generator. Once your service has been restored, you should: - Turn appliances on one at a time to avoid overloading your circuits. - Reset your refrigerator and freezer controls to normal. - Replenish your home’s emergency supplies. If your neighbors get their power back, but you don’t, call us to report it. - As power is restored, it may take some time for our system to return to normal. Trees weakened by the storm may fall resulting in additional power interruptions. MORE INFO: Top 10 Cold Weather Safety Tips From the American Red Cross: 1. Layer up! Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat. 2. Don’t forget your furry friends. Bring pets indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water. 3. Remember the three feet rule. If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs. 4. Requires supervision – Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed 5. Don’t catch fire! If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs. 6. Protect your pipes. Run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage. 7. Better safe than sorry. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst. 8. The kitchen is for cooking. Never use a stove or oven to heat your home. 9. Use generators outside. Never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage. 10. Knowledge is power. Don’t hook a generator up to the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. https://www.facebook.com/groups/YonkersNewswire/permalink/2886330128291213/