HAPPYNEW YEAR

TO ALL

Thank You to All Volunteers

From the Staff of the Great Bay Chapter

The Northeast storm certainly played havoc on many people leaving them without power. The Great Bay Chapter opened 5 shelters in many communities assisting individuals in the community who were effected by the power outage.

We would like to thank so many of our volunteers, as well as the visiting volunteers from Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Your generousity of time during this catastrophe made it possible for us to service many individuals who were affected by this storm.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you the best of holidays.

Staff of Great Bay Chapter

Safety @ Home:

• Never run a generator inside a home, trailer or grarage. You must allow adequate ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
• Never burn charcoal for heating or cooking indoors
• Never use you oven as a source of heat
• Never plug a space heater to an extension cord unless that cord is rated for the level of use
• Make sure portable heaters are away for curtains and other flammable materials
• Be especially careful around evergreen holiday decorations
• Generators should be connected directly to the equipment you want to power - NOT to the home's electrical system
• Use flashlights or hurricane oil lamps instead of candles - If you do Keep away from children and NEVER leave unattended
• Listen to battery or hand-crank radio for undated information
• Be careful for food that has not been kept at appropriate temperatures
• Turn off all equipment or disconnect appliances that you were using when the power went out. This will avoid the possibility of damages should the momentary "surges" or "spikes"  occur when the power is turned on
• Leave 1 light onn so you will know when the power returns
• Use phone for emergencies only
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic signals will stop working during the outage, creating traffic congestion
• Remember ATM's and elevators will NOT work
• Wear layers of warm clothing especially during these temperatures.

Frozen Pipes

• If you have no heat, let the cold water drip from faucets. This helps prevent freezing pipes
• If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Likely places where pipes pipes become frozen include pipes running against exterior walls or where you water service enters your house through the foundation. Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, the water will begin to flow through the frozen area.

Down Wires and Trees

• Stay away from downed wires - treat all wires as live
• Call your utility company if you have a downed wire
• Watch for falling limbs and trees