As southeast Iowa is now in the thick of winter, residents are urged to be prepared for emergency situations while traveling and at home.

Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen says when driving residents should travel with a phone charger, snacks, water and extra layers, especially an extra pair of socks and boots. Stowing a small shovel and kitty litter can help if your car is stuck around snow or ice. Reisen says that in the event of power outages, there are places to go if temperatures become too cold indoors, “If it’s really cold, like we saw a few years ago when we had the power outage in the middle of the night, your temperature in your house is going to drop fairly quickly. So in the event that we have power outages and you actually have to leave your home, we will be opening shelters. Tune into KCII because I will make that phone call and say ‘We’re doing shelters because we’ve got a power outage. People are going to get cold and we’ve got a place where we can get warm.’ We’ve got several shelter locations throughout the county. So just tune in or check my Facebook page.”

Reisen added that keeping extra blankets around the house and having a backup heating source, such as a fireplace, can help in the event of a power outage. Other ways to help keep the heat in include putting plastic seals on windows, cutting off drafts under doors and putting up heavier curtains. For more winter safety tips, visit here.