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Tips for protecting your family and home.
You can’t control the weather. But you can control how you prepare for severe weather, and what you do during and after storms hit.
Here are some important tips to help you and your family be smart and safe before, during, and after a severe weather event.
- Get Ready. Create an emergency plan for your family and pets. For example, know where the emergency supplies are and how you would evacuate your home if necessary. You should also know how to turn off the water.
- Prepare an Emergency Kit. Include non-perishable food, bottled water, medications, flashlights, a first aid kit, and an up-to-date fire extinguisher.
- Be in Charge. Power up your electronic devices, fuel up generators and vehicles, and have plenty of batteries on hand.
- Unplug and Lock Down. Unplug natural gas appliances and electronics in severe lightning. Bring in or tie down outdoor items if high winds are expected.
- Stay Informed. Keep a battery-powered weather radio — or another, non-electric powered source of weather and emergency information — readily available.
- Stay Inside. In most cases, you’ll be safer inside your home. If you must go outside, be sure to dress according to the weather.
- Avoid Utility Lines. Stay far away from downed wires of any kind and alert your electric company immediately.
- Use Generators Safely. Read the manufacturer’s instructions, always keep generators outside, and never connect a generator to your home’s electrical system.
- Light with Batteries. Use battery-powered light sources instead of candles.
- Protect Yourself. If you must handle storm-related debris, wear gloves and other protective equipment. Wash your hands with soap and water afterward.
- Take Floods Seriously. You can never tell how deep water is or how quickly it’s moving. Don’t guess. Be safe and stay away.
- Keep Food Safe. If you lose power, keep your refrigerator closed to keep cold air in and help protect food from spoiling.
- Because natural gas lines are underground, they are less likely to be damaged during severe weather. However, if your gas lines or service is disrupted, follow these safety tips:
- Never attempt to turn your gas off or on by yourself.
- Knowing the location of your natural gas meter during an emergency will be helpful if an SJG technician needs to quickly access it.
- If you smell natural gas — which has been treated to smell like rotten eggs — move to a safe location, call 911 and
contact South Jersey Gas at 1.800.582.7060.