Get ready to handle winter like a pro!

RAPID CITY, S.D.- October 26 is Winter Weather Preparedness Day, and current warm and sunny conditions actually present the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season. Here are a few tips from Alexa White, Deputy Director of Rapid City/Pennington County Emergency Management, and City of Rapid City Communications Coordinator Darrell Shoemaker so that you’re ready to help yourself and your neighbor by the time the first big snow hits your front porch.

Download the NC1 Weather app for Android or iOS and get winter weather notices as they happen! Or you can use this QR code:

What you can do now:

1. Prepare a kit for your home- one for hunkering down and one for evacuating quickly.
2. Prepare a kit for your car including snow scrapers, a tow chain, blanket, hats, gloves, a jacket, snacks, and at least half of a gas tank. This may seem like a lot for a car, but Alexa says that “you don’t need a big plastic tote. Maybe have a few small little bags that are stuffed underneath or around in different areas in your car. That seems to work best for a lot of people because if it’s something big and in the way, you’ll just take it out.” She adds that it’s best to do what works for you.
3. Get shelters ready for pets and animals- if repairs need to be done, do them now!
4. Inspect, fix, and replace shovels now- you ‘ll have 24 hours to clear snow from your sidewalks after a storm ends.
5. If you move for winter, make arrangements now for snow removal. “People don’t realize if they’re moving down south for for a month or for a couple of months, making sure they make arrangements to have their snow and ice removed whenever there’s an incident because, again, they leave and that snow piles up, that ice piles up, it can create an issue,” Shoemaker adds.
6. Check in with your elderly and disabled neighbors now, and make a plan to help them get their driveways and sidewalks cleared too.

Once the snow finally arrives:

1. Move your vehicles from roads to allow plows to work.

   “It’s much faster if they don’t have to drive around cars and it’s better for our roads, it will melt faster when the sun does come,” White says.

2. If you come across plows as they’re working, give them plenty of space to do their jobs.
3. Leave early for your destination, and be patient.
4. While removing snow, make sure you’re putting it in a safe place- one where it won’t cause ice to spread across driveways, sidewalks, and streets.
5. If you don’t need to travel, just stay home and enjoy the view through the window.