Dan's Blog: Preparations for Green Country's Winter 2012

TULSA - I hate ice.

Not the kind in my sweet tea, but the kind that coats roads, causes trees to fall and downs power lines. Give me 10 inches of snow any day.

As I watch leaves fall outside, I'm reminded we need to get ready for the next winter storm. No, it's not in my forecast right now, but it's only a matter of time.

If you were not around Green Country in 2007, you missed two major winter weather events. We had snow and ice in January and then again in December we were facing more ice.

Our high in Tulsa on December 9, 2007 was only 31 degrees, normally not a problem.

But when more than one inch of rain falls you get a damaging coat of ice. We had major power outages and it basically shut the state down. The following day we had 1.13 inches of rain that coated us with more ice.

Fast forward to January 2009. On the 27th we fell to 19 degrees with .51 inches of liquid falling, which quickly froze on contact. The ice was crippling.

Most were not ready and suffered. So in an effort to be better prepared, on our 5 p.m. weathercasts we've been offering some winter weather tips.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests you have a week of nonperishable food on hand in your home. They recommend:

• Drinking water
• Canned/no-cook food (bread, crackers, dried fruits)
• Non-electric can opener
• Baby food and formula (if baby in the household)
• Prescription drugs and other medicine
• First-aid kit
• Rock salt to melt ice on walkways
• Supply of cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Battery-powered lamps or lanterns (to prevent the risk of fire, avoid using candles)
• Portable generator (never run this inside or in the garage)

Things I would recommend:

• Smoke detector
• Carbon monoxide detector
• A professional inspection of your home's heater
• Extra blankets
• Battery operated radio

Car necessities:

• Jumper cables
• Shovel
• Nonperishable snack for the glove box
• Extra blanket
• Extra coat, gloves, hat
• Cat litter

And while this may seem like a lot, just remember: our 2 Works For You Meteorologists will be here with the latest information before, during and after the storm.