The warmer weather and longer days of sun shine have signalled to us all the spring is on its way. Looking at the calendar one would think so but there sure is a whole lot of snow out there before any one of us will be golfing.
As you read this column and ponder spring, think about making sure you are ready for spring. Now is the definitely the time for you to take care of the snow around your house to prevent flooding. You are encouraged to make sure that most of the snow is at least two metres (approximately six feet) away from the foundation. Get your snowblower out or hire someone to get the snow moved away.
In the rural areas now is the time to think about roadways, farm buildings and our storage areas that might be in danger of flooding.
Start to move some of that snow away not just waiting for it to melt. Keep your down spots clear and again move water well away from the foundation of your home.
With all the snow also in rural areas, please think about storage areas for fuel or chemicals.
Should these area become flooded there is a potential for a chemical spill.
The time is now to think about livestock too! It is never too late to make plans.
In fact maybe it is a good time to remind everyone in the house what to do in case of an emergency. Younger children will rely on their parents for guidance on what to do but should a natural disaster or other incident such as a fire occur, where is the safe meeting point?
Do you have additional supplies such as battery powered radio, flashlights or additional food supplies? These are but a few things you might want to get ready. We always think it will never happen to us. Heck the lights will always be on and I will use my debit card.
The lessons learned from last year’s extensive power failure should have taught us all to get prepared. To know what to do for floods, power failures or even how to build your emergency kit visit www.getprepared.ca. The Government of Canada has a great web site full of help, easy to follow information.
Thinking about spring we have been reminding folks time and time again to not get up on your roof without proper safety protection such as a fall harness. Yet still folks are up on icy roofs pushing away the accumulation of snow.
Please for your own personal safety have a word with yourself and clear snow from roofs safely.
Time to start thinking about thin ice conditions especially for smaller bodies of water like dug outs or sloughs. Rotten ice will appear discoloured or dark and soft with water on top. With all the snow small areas did not even freeze solid so please make sure the ice is safe and remains safe before you venture out.
Remind your children to stay away from the water/rivers edge as spring runoff will produce lots of water and swift moving currents. With that combination and cold water, the chance of serious increase is dramatically increased.
