Prep your home and your car for freezing temperatures

The cold weather is sticking around this week, and it's a good idea to make sure your home is prepared.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The cold weather is sticking around this week, and it’s a good idea to make sure your home is prepared.

Justin Roberts, manager of ACE Hardware in Macon, says you should put faucet covers on exposes pipes. He also says you should have fire wood, outside space heaters, flashlights and batteries in an emergency kit.

“It’s the little things that count,” he said. “When it comes directly to your home, keeping your faucets dripping at night so your pipes don’t burst. No one wants to wake up to busted pipes.”

It’s not just your home that needs preparing. Johnny Davis, owner of Karsten & Denson Hardware Store, says your car should have an emergency kit, too.

He recommends a good pair of jumper cables, a flashlight with batteries, hand warmers, a blanket and a poncho. He says even though getting trapped in your car is a rare occurrence, it’s still good to have those items just in case.

“It did happen in Atlanta two years ago where there were a lot of cars stuck in snow and ice, and it was cold,” he said. “And other than running your car, there weren’t many sources of heat for most people.”

Roberts also recommends having the right fluids in your car and salt to put on your driveway in case it ices over.

“That way you can de-ice your driveway,” he said. “And you don’t get stuck doing that, and you could actually make it to work still.”

Davis says prepare your emergency kit before there’s an actual emergency, and if you have a generator, make sure it’s in an open space.

“Really it needs to be unimpeded air flow on all four sides of the generator,” he said. “Not in any direction being blocked by a wall.”

For a more comprehensive emergency kit list, visit the Ready website. It includes a list of items to keep in your car in addition to your emergency kit.