Good Advice on Winter Storm Survival

Don’t be caught unprepared in the cold or snow. Here are a few basic recommendations from AccuWeather you should keep in mind during the winter months.

At Home or Work:

1. Working flashlight 2. A charged cell phone 3. Battery powered radio or television 4. Extra food, water and medicine 5. First Aid Supplies 6. Heating fuel (or turn up the heat prior to the storm if your house uses electrical heat) 7. Emergency heating source 8. Fire extinguishers 9. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors

On a Farm:

1. Move all animals to an enclosed shelter 2. Bring extra feed to nearby feeding areas 3. Have an extra water supply easily available

In a Vehicle:

1. Full or near full gas tank 2. Let a friend or relative know your predicted arrival time 3. A charged cell phone 4. Extra food and water 5. Extra gasoline for emergency fuel

At Home or in a Building:

1. Stay inside 2. Close off unneeded rooms to save heat 3. Stuff towels or rags in cracks underneath doors to conserve heat 4. Cover the windows at night 5. Eat and drink to prevent dehydration 6. Wear layers of loose-fitting, light-weight and warm clothing

If Caught Outside:

1. Find a dry shelter immediately 2. Cover all exposed body parts

If Caught Outdoors Without Shelter:

1. Prepare a lean-to, wind break, or snow-cave for protection against the wind 2. Build a fire for heat and attention purposes 3. Place rocks around the fire to absorb and reflect the heat 4. Do not eat snow straight off the ground, melt it first.

If Stranded in a Vehicle:

1. Stay inside your vehicle 2. Run the motor for ten minutes each hour 3. Crack the windows to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning 4. Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked 5. Tie a colored cloth to your antenna or door 6. Raise the hood after the snow stops falling 7. Exercise to keep warm and keep your blood flowing.

E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

E.J. Smith is the Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH, where he completed course-work in Practical and Defensive Handgun, Conceal Carry Pistol, Shotguns, Precision Scope Rifle and Kidnapping Prevention. E.J. plays a Yamaha Recording Custom drum set with Zilldjian cymbals. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com. Sign up here to receive all the best content from Richardcyoung.com each week.