Blizzard of 2015: What You Need to Be Prepared

Are you ready for the Blizzard of 2015? Winter storm Juno, besides dumping upwards of two feet of snow also carries with it powerful sustainable winds of 40-45 mph. High winds increase the chance of power outages.

A 'Blizzard Warning' means that snow and strong winds will combine to produce a blinding snow (near zero visibility), deep drifts, and life-threatening wind chill. They are issued for winter storms with sustained or frequent winds of 35 mph or higher with considerable falling and/or blowing snow that frequently reduces visibility to 1/4 of a mile or less. These conditions are expected to prevail for a minimum of 3 hours.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency has the following list of basic supplies to consider for emergency storm preparations. Any time that there is a potential for extended power outages you should think about things you or a family member may need to safely get through the storm.

• Water, 1 gallon per person per day
• Non-perishable food and can opener
• Radio, battery powered or hand-cranked
• Flashlight
• First aid kit and manual
• Warm blankets or sleeping bag
• Weather appropriate change of clothing, footwear and gloves
• Sanitation items—garbage bags, ties, hand sanitizer, toilet paper
• Personal hygiene items
• Medications (7 days) and eye glasses
• Cell phone and charger, coins or prepaid phone card
• Emergency contact information
• Cash or Traveler’s Checks
• Local maps
• Wrench or pliers for utility shutoff
• Extra batteries for all devices

The Maine Department of Transportation recommends these items for your car in case you are trapped in a storm:

• Shovel
• Windshield scraper and broom
• Extra windshield washer fluid
• Tire chains or traction mats
• Healthy snacks and water
• First aid kit
• Blankets
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Basic tool kit
• Good spare tire and jack
• Flares or reflectors
• Battery jumper cables
• Brightly colored cloth for emergency flagging
• Cell phone and emergency phone numbers
• Extra boots, gloves, socks and warm hat rain or waterproof gear
• Sand or kitty litter to help with traction if you are stuck
• Salt to help melt ice
• Map to help direct rescuers to your location

Here is the CMP outage information.