Officials from the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said Thursday that according to the National Weather Association in Wilmington, there is high confidence that Delaware County will see a winter storm over the weekend that has the possibility of covering the area in up to a foot of snow.

“The way this storm is running, the National Weather Association can’t exactly predict it,” said Sandy Mackey, Delaware County Emergency Management Agency deputy director. “Currently, Delaware County could see 8-12 inches of snow with a line of ice south of us. It’s shifting, but we don’t know which direction.”

Mackey said the winter storm could include conditions of extreme cold, snow, ice, and/or rain. She added the bad weather conditions often lead to a lot of car crashes, heart attacks, hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning, but she offers a few tips to avoid disastrous situations and outcomes.

“(To avoid) car crashes, stay off the roads,” she said. “Heart attacks are caused by people shoveling heavy, wet snow, so take a break, slow down and dress warm.”

Mackey added carbon monoxide poisoning is often the result of having a running generator in the house or in the garage where there’s no adequate ventilation for exhaust fumes. She said space heaters also need to be adequately ventilated and moved far away from children, pets, curtains, and flammable materials in the home.

Mackey suggests having plenty of gasoline stored to fuel a generator to hopefully avoiding the risk of going out into the winter storm to purchase more. She also suggests having all prescription drugs filled, while also making sure there is plenty of food (bread, milk, eggs, etc.) stocked in the home for everyone living there.

“Prepare in advance,” she said. “Check on neighbors before going to the store. Ask them if there is something you could pick up for them.”

Mackey asks that residents follow reliable sources of information such as the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency, which checks in with the National Weather Association in Wilmington, weighs all the possibilities, and offers the best possible advice for the best outcomes.

“If it’s going to be a bad storm, we want people to know how bad so (people) can be prepared,” she said.

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