Fierce wind, deep snow, ice, frigid temperatures and a little lightning — thank you Mother Nature. The massive winter storm that stretched from Oklahoma to New York impacted nearly 100 million people this week, many of whom are just beginning to dig out.
For those of us unaccustomed to living in igloos, the task of removing a foot or more of snow and ice might seem daunting.
Protecting your home during frigid temperatures:
• To protect pipes from freezing during extreme cold open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to pipes under sinks and vanities near exterior walls and run a small trickle of water from hot and cold faucets. If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber. If you detect that your water pipes have frozen and burst, turn off the water at the main water shut-off valve in the house. To see video about what to do when a pipe freezes, visit: http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls97J_tQ0io
• Removing excess snow from your roof can help prevent ice dams from forming. (Ice dams form when melted snow refreezes at roof edges. Water can build up behind the ice, causing leaking inside your home.) Never attempt to climb your roof and remove the snow. A snow rake allows users to stand on the ground, and pull the snow off the roof. Snow rakes are generally available at home centers and hardware stores. Or, you can call a professional roofer to remove the snow. Remember to stand clear of the falling snow and ice.
• Remove snow and ice from walkways and stairs to prevent slips and falls.
• High winds and ice can down trees and power lines. Stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires. Notify the utility company.
• If you’ve experienced a power outage, turn off or disconnect appliances, equipment or electronics that were on when the power went out. When power returns it may come back with momentary “surges” or “spikes” that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the refrigerator, washer or furnace.
Things to know if your car was stuck and towed
• Towing is elective
• You have to add it to your policy if you want towing for anything other than car accidents
• No deductible
• If you have the coverage you will not have to pay a deductible
• Watch out for storage fees
• If your car is towed to a tow company in many cases your policy will not cover the storage fees incurred if it’s not in connection with a covered claim
• Important to be proactive and find out where your car was taken
• Police can help if they were part of the process of getting cars out of the way to get streets cleared
• Each situation will be handled on an individual basis so it’s important to let your agent know what is going on
