Lane County Emergency Management Issues Winter Weather Warning

February 12, 2025

The following message is from Lane County Emergency Management on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. They are expecting possible freezing rain, ice accumulation, and snow, along with an extended low-temperature period. This is the time to make sure you are prepared for winter weather.

Helpful links to resources:

Household Preparedness

Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking, and weather stripping. Learn how to keep pipes from freezing. Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.
Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Do not forget the needs of pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.

Generator Safety

Generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages.
NEVER heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can kill you, your family and pets.
Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. Touching a wet generator or devices connected to one can cause electrical shock.
Always connect the generator to appliances with heavy-duty extension cords.
Let the generator cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Winter Driving

Create an emergency supply kit for your car. Include jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, ice scraper, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water, and non-perishable snacks. Keep the gas tank full and your phone charged.
Winterize your vehicle. Check tire pressure, battery charge, fluids and wipers.
Slow down and change your route. Pay attention to the road conditions. Stay home if you can. Go slow and adjust your route if you can’t stay home.
Go easy on the gas and the brakes. Avoid accelerating or braking quickly in icy conditions.

Frostbite and Hypothermia

Limit your time outside. If you need to go outside, then wear layers of warm clothing. Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers, and toes. Signs of frostbite include numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, firm or waxy skin. Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.
Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency. Shivering of hypothermia, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness. Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.
Bring pets inside. Cold temperatures affect your animals, too. Bring them inside or provide a safe source of warmth.

Check on neighbors. Older adults and young children are more at risk in extreme cold.

Click here for more information on this alert.

About Lane County Emergency Management
Lane County Emergency Management (LCEM) provides the disaster framework and partners with the whole community to prepare for emergencies, coordinate emergency planning, and work toward recovery for a more resilient Lane County.

Broadly speaking, activities and responsibilities associates with emergency management can be broken down into four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Each phase is critical to protecting people, infrastructure and essential services during and after a disaster.