Due to the anticipated snowstorm, all eight Dutchess County Office for the Aging Senior Friendship Centers will be closed on Thursday, February 9.
Please take the appropriate precautions for this storm. Below are some quick tips we shared with you earlier this winter.
Wait until the roads are clear before trying to venture outdoors, and if possible, bring a companion with you. When you do head outside, be sure you put on warm socks, a heavy coat, a warm hat, gloves and a scarf, taking extra precaution to cover exposed skin as the temperature drops. Be sure you’re wearing shoes with good traction and non-skid soles. If you’ve got a cane, replace the tip if it’s worn out.
Another indoor precaution against winter weather is to get ready for power outages. Step one: fresh batteries for your flashlights and radios, and a battery backup for your home computer if you use one. Extended outages could spoil frozen and refrigerated food, so have enough non-perishable goods ready to go. Have plenty of warm blankets handy, and you’ll need the aforementioned warm clothing if the power outage also knocks out your heat.
You might not immediately think of diet as a way to keep warm in the winter, but it’s important to vary what you eat in the winter when there are often fewer food choices available. Nutritional deficits can become a problem in the winter months, so ask your physician and/or nutritionist if you’ll need anything to keep your vitamin D levels where they should be.
Beyond this, the most important tip we can offer to get you through a Hudson Valley winter is to ask for help if you need it, especially when it comes to clearing snow and ice away from your property and any places you frequently walk. Stay in touch with friends, neighbors and family so that they can help – after all, we’ll all be going through this winter together.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Dutchess County from midnight tonight (Wed) to Thursday at 6 p.m., with higher snow totals expected in southern Dutchess.
