Newark Tips For Keeping Homes, Families Warm In Cold Weather

NEWARK, NJ — The weather is expected to get cold in Newark. But there are several things local residents can do to help their families and neighbors stay warm, city officials say.

Weather forecasters predicted freezing rain, sleet and up to four tenths of an inch of ice throughout New Jersey on Friday.

• Read More: 12 NJ Counties Under Weather Advisory, School Closures Issued
• Read More: Cold Snap Expected In Newark; City Issues 'Code Blue' Alert

Newark city officials released a list of tips for keeping homes safe and coping with extreme winter weather. They included:

• Keep the house heated to a minimum of 68 degrees. The temperatures inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 68 degrees will not keep the inside walls from freezing.
• Identify the locations for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.
• Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent them from freezing.
• Check on seniors to make sure that they are warm and dry.
• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• Check all windows and doors for drafts. Place plastic if you feel a draft.
• Do not leave space heaters unattended.
• Do not use generators indoors.
• It is illegal to use kerosene heaters indoors.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Take inventory of emergency items.

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