BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you are fortunate to be staying put this weekend in areas being hit by the storm, there are still some things you can do to prepare your property for heavy winds.
2 On Your Side talked with National Grid about being prepared, so that you don't end up in a dangerous situation later this week.
Charging your phones and tablets Thursday night is the way to go. That way when the storm hits Friday, they will be all charged up if you lose power.
Make sure you put fresh batteries in your flashlights so they work.
And if you have a generator, don't use it inside your house or in your garage.
"Otherwise, carbon monoxide could build up inside the house. And also, before operating any generator, be sure to disconnect from the main electricity system by shutting off your main breaker, which is usually at the top of your breaker box in the basement," National Grid spokesperson David Bertola said.
2 On Your Side asked around to see what the availability is for generators right now. Valu Home Centers told us they only have them on their website, so you wouldn't be able to get one before the storm.
You can also do a few things now to make it easier for crews to get the power back on if you lose it.
"A lot of our power infrastructure runs through people's backyards, and sometimes it's difficult to access that area. It's going to be, it might be compounded by heavy snowfall this time around, so if you have things like maybe bikes, or snow blowers, or maybe cars parked where a crew member might not be able to get back there to access that property, maybe clear that area out," Bertola said.
They also want you to check on any neighbors who live alone, especially if the power goes out.
"We have older women in our neighborhood who live alone, and we're always in contact with them and the neighbors across the street who pitch in and help them as well, and especially this time of year, nobody likes to be alone, and it's good to check in anyway and say hello and the power's out, why not see if they need anything. It's always good to ask," Bertola said.
If you're a National Grid customer, you're going to want to bookmark the power outage map. It is updated every five minutes and will tell you when they expect your power to be back on.
We also checked in with a bunch of stores to see if they were planning on changing their hours Friday. Tops told us it will be open for its regularly scheduled hours. It's the same deal with Wegmans where they don't plan to change their hours either.
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