Jan. 3—Old Man Winter is rolling over southern Indiana bringing bone-chilling temperatures, potentially hazardous travel conditions and dangers in the home the weekend.
“This may be a big storm that causes a lot of problems,” said Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Gray.
Part of that problem may be tied to snow and ice although officials are still trying to figure out where the weather lines will be.
“Based on the early look at the forecast we are looking at a possibility of snow, snow-sleet, freezing rain or all of the above,” said Daviess County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott Myers. “The exact path is not definite. We are sitting on a border line depending upon which way the system travels.”
Along with slippery precipitation the system is expected to bring an extended period of below freezing temperatures.
“The temperatures are dropping and will be below freezing for several days and that means whatever we get will be around for several days,” said Myers. “The cold is going to be around for two to three weeks. We will have some single digit lows and wind chills to dangerous levels.”
A winter blast, like the one rolling over southern Indiana often sends people out looking for alternate heat sources. Firefighters say they have already begun responding to calls to help people looking at the wrong way to stay warm.
“We had a run Wednesday night to a home that had the oven running to try and stay warm,” said Gray. “The problem was the oven began creating enough carbon monoxide to become a problem.”
“They will use space heaters, kerosene heaters, wood stoves and fire places that haven’t been used for a while and haven’t been checked,” said Myers. “There are dangers involved with using alternative heat. You have to keep combustible things away from them. If you are going to use a wood stove or fireplace, have it checked to be sure the flue isn’t blocked or has a creosote build-up, so the smoke and gasses don’t come into your home.”
Alternative heat sources can be effective if they are used properly.
“It’s tough because people want to stay warm, but when they start using things other than their furnace it causes problems,” said Gray. “Some people use space heaters and those can overload electrical circuits. Space heaters can get knocked over. They are often plugged into extension cords or power strips that are not able to handle the power they pull and short out. A lot of times it is electrical problems.”
Adding to the issue is the aging housing stock in Daviess County which finds some homes using knob and tube wiring.
“If you have an older home, say 75-year-old or older, it may have older style electrical wiring that cannot take the pull from space heaters,” said Gray, who points out that some of the changing population in the community is not acclimated to dealing with cold weather. “We have some people who have moved to our community who are not used to dealing with the cold. When they need heat, anything they can find they will try. Some of those just won’t work. We have also had issues with people using charcoal grills inside their house or apartment for heat. That causes so many problems.”
The weather system moving in includes precipitation and cold and that combination can also lead to power outages that are sometimes lengthy.
“If we lose power and you use a back-up generator, make sure you keep it a safe distance from your home so that fumes don’t get inside,” said Myers.
“If you live alone and wind up without electricity, make sure you call someone, the police or sheriff, so that if the power is off for an extended period of time we can get you somewhere that is warm,” said Gray.
The cold weather is expected to lock into the area for at least a couple of weeks. Officials say people need to be prepared.
“Be careful and be safe. We are expecting travel to become hazardous, but we all will be fighting a monster with the cold,” said Myers.