Did you know?
• Sixty-three percent of temperature-related deaths are attributed to cold exposure (Seltenrich N. (2015). Between Extremes: Health Effects of Heat and Cold. Environmental health perspectives, 123(11), A275–A280. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.123-A275).
• Home heating is the second leading cause of home fires, and winter is when most home fires happen.
• When driving, increase your following distance from 3-4 seconds to 5-6 seconds. It takes longer to slow down and stop on icy roads.
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 2023
Resources are available from FEMA to help prepare everyone for those winter weather risks. Go to https://www.ready.gov/winter-ready for resources on preventing home fires, preparing for power outages including links to generator safety and winter travel safety. You’ll also find a section on “Tips for Specific Needs” that focuses on older adults, those who work outdoors and/or take part in recreation activities in winter, low-cost tips on heating a home and more.
You may also interact with people who are new to Nebraska or haven’t experienced winter weather extremes. Consider sharing preparedness messaging on your office, personal or professional social media sites. You may help prevent a tragedy. Resource suggestions:
• FEMA social media toolkits tare available in English and Español - https://www.ready.gov/holiday-safety-social-media-toolkit.
• Like and follow Nebraska Extension – Disasters Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/NEextensiondisasters.
• Search for your local/regional emergency management office on the social media platform of your choice and follow them to stay up-to-date on resources available in your area. NEMA’s County Emergency Management Directory - https://nema.nebraska.gov/em-directors.php
If you have questions about sharing this information or need additional information on disaster preparedness and emergency management, contact any member of the Nebraska EDEN team so we can help. Learn more about Nebraska EDEN and locate team members at https://disaster.unl.edu/nebraska-eden
Soni Cochran at scochran2@unl.edu