How will you remove snow safely this winter? Once again, New York City is scheduled to get some snowstorms this weekend for the New Year. It's something us New Yorkers are used to with the kinds of winters we get around these parts but they still require some preparation on our part. Many people are unaware that removing snow can become a dangerous task and should be done with some caution. Unfortunately, we learned this lesson the hard way when the father of an old friend of ours suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow in front of their home. He subsequently died as a result and it was sobering to think that something like snow removal could prove to be such a perilous activity. Studies show that shoveling snow can increase a person's risk of having a heart attack. Additionally, there are other injuries that can arise from clearing snow including pulled muscles, broken bones, and hypothermia. There are some precautions that one can take to decrease these … [Read more...]
Are You Prepared For The 2012 Hurricane Season?
Last year, almost around this time of the year, we New Yorkers had a rude awakening about how truly we are prepared to deal with a natural weather disaster such as a hurricane. As Hurricane Irene tore a path of destruction along the East Coast, we all scrambled to purchase emergency supplies and to learn as much as we possibly could about what we should do in the event of a total loss. Luckily, the impact it had on New York City was minimal, however, it definitely taught all of us a lesson in the importance of knowing what to do in case of a weather emergency. As the 2012 hurricane season begins, we want to provide all of you with the resources that you will need to help you prepare your families before a major storm hits. This is of particular concern to New Yorkers who are not used to regularly dealing with weather emergencies. One way you can prepare is by checking out the New York Office of Emergency Management's (OEM)'s guide, READY NEW YORK: HURRICANES … [Read more...]
Are You Prepared For Hurricane Irene?
As I'm sure many of you already know, Hurricane Irene is scheduled to wreak havoc throughout the Eastern Seaboard all the way from North Carolina to New England this weekend. Since we live in New York City, it definitely looks like we will not be dodging this bullet. Even as I am writing this post, I am going over in my mind all of the preparations that we need to make before this storm hits our area as expected on Sunday Morning. If you reside in an inner city like I do, you are probably as puzzled about emergency preparation as we are. The only difference is that New Yorkers have been hit with a couple of emergency doozies in the past couple of decades so we don't take emergencies lightly. Despite this level of awareness, I am ashamed to say that I really do not have much of an emergency plan in place should a real catastrophe occur. In an attempt to make myself feel better and to get a better idea regarding what emergency supplies we need to prepare, I … [Read more...]
