NEWS RELEASE
Idaho Office of Emergency Management
For immediate release November 1, 2016
Contact: Elizabeth Duncan
(208) 258-6595 eduncan@imd.idaho.gov

November is Winter Weather Preparedness Month

Idahoans Encouraged to Know the Dangers and Make a Plan

 

BOISE –Winter weather can bring a combination of potentially life-threatening conditions including freezing rain, ice, snow and high winds. While temperatures in many parts of Idaho remain relatively mild, winter weather is heading our way.

November is Winter Weather Preparedness Month – an opportunity to prepare for the weather change and have a plan in place for you and your family if severe weather happens. “In the past families and individuals were encouraged to have a 72 hour kit,” said Brad Richy of the Idaho Office of Emergency Management. “We now know 72-hours isn’t long enough when extended power outages occur, especially in a state like Idaho with many remote communities. It’s important to individualize your family plan to suit where you live and to focus on the worst case scenario, like being without power for a week.”

	Northern Idaho Severe Weather Event 2015
Crews in Northern Idaho clean up and repair damage following a severe winter storm in mid-December of 2015. The severe weather event led to a State and Presidential disaster declaration. More than one thousand people were without power for more than a week in some areas.

Keeping emergency supplies on hand in your home is an important way to stay safe. Flashlights with fresh batteries, a portable, battery-powered radio, water and nonperishable food should be included. It’s also important to re-assess and refresh your family’s kits each year. Keeping informed about developing weather is also important.

The Boise office of the National Weather Service has developed a web page with other National Weather Service offices in the Pacific Northwest to describe winter weather threats in our area. https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/seasonal/winterAwareness/?wfo=boi

“This year it looks like La Nina conditions will develop in the Pacific Ocean,” said Jay Breidenbach, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. “That typically means cooler and wetter weather in Idaho. It sets us up for a lot of wintery weather and gives us a better chance of seeing above normal precipitation with temperatures near or below normal.”

For more information on what to have on your Emergency Supply Checklist visit www.ready.gov/kit

 

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The Idaho Office of Emergency Management is a Division of the Idaho Military Division. The services we provide are to facilitate emergency management in Idaho, and to assist neighboring states. The men and women of this Division are dedicated to their mission of protecting the lives and property of the people of Idaho, as well as preserving the environmental and the economic health of Idaho.

 

Original Release