Neighborhood Watch: Don't Underestimate the Storm

After Hurricane Sandy and Blizzard Nemo, Perfect Neighborhood Watch director James Semon isn't taking any chances as a late-winter storm is set to dump up to 8 inches of snow on the area.

Semon sent the below email to community members in Hauppauge on Wednesday, though there's one tip that might be most important.

"One thing I do now is take my plug in CO2 monitors and put them in the rooms we are at, at that time, so I move them from the living room, to the bedrooms, to the dinning rooms as we use each room," he said, adding that the reason is the proximity of generators to the house that spew the deadly gas.

"Bit of a pain, but during Sandy the ones I had were in the basement, in the bedroom hall, and in the kitchen. When everyone started complaining of a headache I moved it into the living room(where we were sitting) and it went off like crazy. So I move them around with us now," he said.

Same goes for tailpipes, Semon said. Make sure they are clear before starting your car.

Here is his email:

To All Members Of The Perfect Neighborhood Watch:

Here we go again, I'll recap the emails I sent previously from Nemo as a refresher below in red. Although this storm looks to be less intense, high winds are expected which always adds to the damage and potential power loss. The watch will provide the same services as last time to those who are interested.

Recap:

• Make sure all your vehicles are fully gassed.
• Make sure you have a battery operated radio or even better, a hand crank radio.
• Try to avoid using candles if the power goes out. Battery operated lantern / flashlight is much safer.
• Don’t use your stove or BBQ to heat your home.
• Make sure you filled up your BBQ tank, in case you need to cook during a power outage.
• Stock up on bottled water, remember the rule of thumb is 4 gallons per day per person for cooking, drinking, and hygiene. That’s a good amount of water. You can also fill your tub with water in a pinch. Use 1 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water to sanitize if necessary.
• Have a plan to stay with friends or relatives in case of a prolonged power outage.
• NEVER put your hand in the chute of a snow blower to clear a jam. The #1 cause of emergency room injuries during a snow storm is related to people doing this.
• Extra batteries.
• Make sure you have a good supply of food, especially canned and dry goods.
• Have a good supply of blankets and warm clothing at the ready.
• Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).

Remember to take it easy when shoveling. Take breaks often. Stay hydrated.

Try not to drive during the peak of the storm.

For more information on being prepared go to: http://www.dhses.ny.gov/aware-prepare/index.cfm