Be prepared for cold weather.
Take these precautions to protect your home and those you love!
Prepare and Protect the 4 P’s
People
- Dress in warm, layered clothing, including gloves, a coat, and a hat when you are outside.
- Never use a generator, grill, camp stove, or any gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning device to heat your home (or any enclosed area). These devices can generate carbon monoxide, which can’t be seen or smelled, but is deadly.
City of Houston will have warming centers open beginning Monday January 15th at 8 p.m. at Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center, Downtown Recovery Center, Fonde Community Center, Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, and Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center. Find addresses and Metro stop information here
Pets
- Protect your pets by ensuring that they have a warm, safe place to sleep. The best place for a pet to sleep is in a heated environment.
- Never leave your animal in a car during cold weather. Cars can act as refrigerators in the winter, holding in the cold and causing animals to freeze to death.
Pipes
- While generally, pipes don’t freeze until temperatures hit the mid-20s, it’s important to make sure you’re prepared and have proper insulation ready to go.
- During cold weather, pipes may freeze and rupture, causing water leaks and damage to your home. Protect your home by opening the cabinets under kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow air from your home’s heater to warm the pipes under the sink. Let faucets drip – as moving water freezes more slowly than still water.
- Insulate outdoor faucets and pipes with insulation or newspaper and be sure to disconnect and drain hoses from outdoor spigots.
- Winterize your irrigation system. This video is a helpful step-by-step guide to winterization.
Plants
- Protect plants from freezing by covering them with plant-cover fabric, or a light blanket with plastic sheeting on top of it.
- Be sure to group potted plants near the edge of a building. Remember that soil in containers can get just as cold as the air temperature, and cause the roots to freeze, even if the above-surface leaves survive.