Over the weekend, at the same time California’s Santa Ana winds were dealing chaos in the west, the premature arrival of winter weather was pounding the other side of the country compliments of Winter Storm Benji. The unprecedented December snowfall started in New Orleans and worked its way all the way up the East Coast to Maine—all of which made last week’s Consumer Reports’ article unusually timely.
CR happened to have published a heads-up on ways to cope when winter storms interfere with daily routines. Boise Idaho winter weather may not regularly trigger Alaskan-level emergency situations, but it’s still a worthwhile reminder for Boise Idaho householders to be prepared for any nasty winter onslaughts that Idaho might have in store for us.
These five areas were highlighted as most important (they’re also recommended by HUD):  

1. Smoke Detectors—they’re required for every Boise Idaho home, but if you haven’t checked them lately, now is the time.
2. Carbon Monoxide Alarms—portable fuel-burning appliances produce CO—but so do fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, and even water heaters. When all the windows are sealed, deadly accumulations are possible. 
3. Generator—if your house is in an area frequently subject to outages, even a small unit to power at least the refrigerator and electronics can be a godsend—but only when it is properly vented!
4. Fire Extinguisher—surprisingly few Boise Idaho homes have recently inspected fire extinguishers. 
5. Auto Cellphone charger—communications are more important than ever if the power goes out.

And while we are thinking about safety, the National Safety Council has these Safe Holiday Season topics worth noting:

1. Wear gloves when arranging “angel hair” (it’s spun glass that can irritate your skin).
2. Don’t inhale when spraying artificial snow.
3. Use a proper step ladder when hanging holiday decorations—even if a chair is right there!
4. Check light strings for frayed or exposed wires.
5. Make sure paths are clear “so no one trips on wrapping paper, decorations, and toys.”

Emergency preparations and accident prevention can be easily overlooked as we enter the hectic Boise Idaho holiday season, but timely precautions can result in holiday-saving results. Meantime, I’ll be standing by, too, ready to help should any Boise Idaho real estate matters arise!