With record low temperatures facing northeast Indiana and the Midwest over the next several days, residents are urged to take several precautions.
WBOI is compiling a series of tips and tricks to help you protect yourself, your pets, and your property as we shiver our way through these next few days.
Pets
A new city ordinance requires that pets within the Fort Wayne city limits be brought into a temperature-controlled structure when the temperature drops below 10 degrees.
And we are definitely going to do that.
So bring your animals in if you live in Fort Wayne. If you have a community cat colony or outdoor animal, Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control has free straw to help provide insulation in temporary shelters.
- Keep water bowls from freezing.
- Make sure your gates and fences are secured so you're not dealing with an escaped pet in sub-zero weather.
- Check their paws for cuts and signs of irritation.
- Do not leave them outside for long periods of time.
Plumbing
Pipes are prone to burst when the temperature drops below freezing -- last week alone, the City of Fort Wayne responded to 10 water main breaks over a 30-hour period. The cold temperatures can also create trouble for your pipes at home.
Some tips to prevent frozen or burst pipes include:
- Trickling a light stream -- the size of the tip of a pencil -- of lukewarm water from a faucet into the pipes to control temperature.
- If pipes are exposed, wrap them to provide warmth. This can be done with either insulation tape or molded flexible pipe sleeves.
- Open doors below sinks if a pipe is located along an exterior wall, allowing warmth to flow to the pipes and drains. Residents can use space heaters near the open doors to help keep the pipes warm.
If a pipe happens to burst, know where the master valve is if water begins to flow through the house. This is where you can turn off your water.
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