Are You Ready to Spring forward?  Sunday, March 8, at 2AM, Daylight Savings Time will begin in most of the United States.  Setting the clock forward one hour means it’s time for a spring safety check!

As you circle the house, setting clocks ahead, make time for this short safety checklist. It’ll see you into Spring Safely.

Change the clocks, change the batteries.  Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives … if they’re powered on by a fresh battery. Safety experts recommend replacing smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries twice a year–so celebrate Time Change Sunday with fresh batteries all around.

If an emergency strikes, will you be ready?

Check the first-aid kit!  Spring means more activities and Summer is coming … along with bumps, scrapes and stings. Check the first aid kit for your home and vehicle and replace any missing supplies.

Check the disaster kit for your home and vehicle and replace any missing supplies.  What, you don’t have a disaster kit?  Well, know is your chance to build one, go to www.ready.gov for a disaster kit list.

Update phone numbers, addresses and contact information in your cellphone and on a back-up list at home.

High winds have the potential to bring down trees, power lines, scaffolding, signs and awnings, and can turn unsecured objects into dangerous projectiles. To prevent damage and injury, bring loose items indoors, and fully secure outdoor objects.

In advance of any storm, be sure your property is secure. Remove any dead trees or overhanging branches near structures, loose roofing materials and objects in yards, patios, roofs or balconies that could blow away.

Strong winds can make driving difficult, especially for those driving high profile vehicles and anyone driving across bridges and overpasses. Maintain a firm grip on the wheel and keep a safe distance between vehicles.

After a high wind advisory or high wind warning is issued residents should take the following precautions:

• Take shelter.
• Tune in to local weather forecasts and bulletins issued by the National Weather Service on local TV and radio stations.
• Ensure windows are secure and brace outside doors.
• Bring in unsecured objects from patios and balconies and secure

The safest place to be during high winds is indoors. Postpone outdoor activities if a wind advisory or high wind warning has been issued.

If you are caught outside during high winds:

• Take cover next to a building or under a shelter.
• Stand clear of roadways or train tracks, as a gust may blow you into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
• Use handrails where available on outdoor walkways and avoid other elevated areas such as roofs without adequate railing.
• Watch for flying debris. Tree limbs may break and street signs may become loose during strong wind gusts.
• Keep an eye toward nearby balconies for loose objects that may fall.

If you are driving:

• Keep both hands on the wheel and slow down.
• Watch for objects blowing across the roadway and into your path.
• Keep a safe distance from cars in adjacent lanes as strong gusts could push a car outside its lane of travel.
• Take extra care in a high-profile vehicle such as a truck, van, SUV, or when towing a trailer, as these are more prone to be pushed or even flipped by high wind gusts.
• If winds are severe enough to prevent safe driving, get onto the shoulder of the road and stop, making sure you are away from trees or other tall objects that could fall onto your vehicle. Stay in the car and turn on the hazard lights until the wind subsides.

In the event of a downed power line:

• Call for help. Report downed lines by calling 9-1-1. Do not try to free lines or to remove debris yourself.
• Avoid anything that may be touching downed lines, including vehicles or tree branches. Puddles and even wet or snow-covered ground can conduct electricity in some cases. Warn others to stay away.
• If you see someone who has been shocked who may be in direct or indirect contact with a power line, do not try to touch them. You may become a second victim. Get medical attention as quickly as possible by calling 9-1-1.
• If a line falls on your car, stay inside the vehicle. Take care not to touch any of the metal frame of your vehicle. Honk your horn, roll down the window and warn anyone who may approach of the danger. Ask someone to call 9-1-1. Do not exit the car until help arrives, unless it catches on fire. To exit, open the door, but do not step out. Jump, without touching any of the metal portions of the car’s exterior, to safe ground and get quickly away.

Athens County is still under a LEVEL 3 SNOW EMERGENCY. All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. Do not call 9-1-1 or other public safety telephone numbers to check on the snow emergency level. Changes in the snow emergency level will be announced and posted on the Athens County Sheriff’s Office and Athens County Emergency Management websites.

Lightning: What You Need to Know

• NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!
• If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
• When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
• Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.

Indoor Lightning Safety

• Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
• Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
• Never lie flat on the ground
• Never shelter under an isolated tree
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
• Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)