With the extreme winter weather making its way into the area for the past couple of days, Manitowoc County Emergency Services is busy keeping up to speed and giving information to the public.
Director Kayla Beckerdite was a guest on the Breakfast club discussing winter emergencies and preparedness.
She says around 50 to 100 Emergency Service Directors from around the region are called to virtual webinars where they can all be privy to the latest information from the National Weather Service.
Beckerdite says this type of snow can cause obvious travel issues, but can even cause issues at home.
“With that wet heavy snow comes the possibility of power outages, so I would encourage people to be prepared,” she explained. “Make sure you have a source of heat if possible that’s not power based. Get blankets, go prep up on food and things like that and if you don’t have a manual can opener go grab one.”
Some businesses have closed for the day, but some remain open.
This means that some people will be commuting to work.
Beckerdite shared a few travel hints to be ready for an off-the-road emergency if you must travel during the storm.
“Blankets, some water in your car, an external charger for your phone,” she suggested. “If you generally travel alone, let someone know you’re going to be on the road so if you don’t make it to where you’re going and they don’t hear from you they can call into dispatch and let us know.”
If you should lose control of your vehicle and end up in the ditch, Beckerdite says it’s best to remain inside the vehicle, especially with dropping wind chills.
“It’s kind of hard to see a person vs a vehicle, so if you are able to safely remain in your vehicle I would recommend that,” she said. “If you’re stuck in your car you can run your car for short intervals every 15-20 minutes or so, but make sure your tailpipe is exposed so you’re not backloading carbon monoxide.”
More information is available online at FEMA’s website, www.Ready.gov, and the Facebook page of the Manitowoc County Emergency Services Department.
