With a winter storm and colder temperatures on the way for the southeast, the Red Cross wants people to be prepared for some common winter emergencies.
That includes weather troubles, home troubles, and ice troubles.
Georgie Matharu, the senior manager of risk reduction for Saskatchewan, discussed some of the details you should consider if you get stuck in a storm on the road this winter.
"The first thing is, where are you? Are you safe in that car? Hopefully, either the RCMP have stopped you and put you in a safe place, or you've managed to get off a highway, or you're near a house locally. The first thing to do is what sort of communication piece have you got to get hold of people. Do you have a cell phone? Are you in an area with cell phone coverage?"
"The next piece is, unfortunately, you've gone into the ditch. First, is everybody safe? Do you have a first aid kit with you in case somebody had a knock? Or do you have a shovel to be able to, you know, dig out your tires? All of these are pieces that we have to consider when we're going on these trips. Did I tell somebody I was getting in the car and travelling to their house so they'd say, oh, it should take me 3 hours, but it's 4 hours and I still haven't got there."
Storms can affect more than just the roadways as snow on powerlines can snap those and plunge homes into a powerless state.
Matharu talks about what to do in case of a power outage during a winter storm.
"First thing is that you're thinking about conserving. Gotta stay warm, so you don't want to be opening outside windows and doors very much. If you can feel drafts, I don't know about you, but I have one of those old-fashioned sausage dogs that I put by the front door to stop drafts coming in. All these sorts of things help us conserve heat. If you're in the home and have a source of heat, if you have a generator, lucky you, you can use that to power an electric generator."
"One of the other things you need to think about is do I have an elderly neighbour that's by themselves? Can I support them and bring them into my house rather than having them alone next door? Do I have enough water in the house? Because a lot of us don't keep bottled water in the house, we expect the tap will turn on. But if it's going to get too cold, will that water stop? So these are all things that we need to think about around this very cold season."
Water can also be a concern for another reason over the winter as Matharu says people may need to watch for pipes bursting thanks to the cold.
She says that making a proper emergency kit and ensuring it's properly placed is crucial.
"You don't want it in the basement if your pipes are bursting, and unfortunately, if your basement is flooding you don't wanna be going down there to find that kit. Have it by a door that you're gonna leave the house by. The other thing to make sure you have in that kit are photocopies or sources that will have a copy of your driver's license, any legal documents, and maybe your house insurance, a lot of us might not remember who we're insured with, so having those documents in the kit, if you have to leave the house is the best solution."
Matharu encourages people to head to redcross.ca if they want any more information on what to do and how to prepare for winter emergencies.