CONCORD, N.H. – State Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Perry Plummer urges residents to be patient but persistent with their service providers as extremely cold weather drives demand for fuel deliveries.
“If you are in need of fuel, call your service provider,” Plummer said. “With high call volumes, wait times can be 10 minutes or longer. Be patient and stay on the call. Fuel is available and service providers are making deliveries as quickly as possible. Fuel delivery restrictions have been eased across the region so that drivers can deliver for longer shifts. That said, driver safety is also a priority. Drivers need enough time to rest between shifts so they can safely make deliveries.”
“If you do not get the assistance you are seeking from your service provider and you are using oil, call the other providers in your area,” Plummer said. “Usually, a service provider will not provide propane to a customer using a different provider’s propane tanks. If your situation becomes urgent, and you are in danger of running out of fuel before morning, call 2-1-1. Importantly, most fuel providers charge a fee if they are called out for an emergency delivery while the customer still has fuel.”
“If you need to get warm, call 2-1-1 for the most current information about warming centers,” Plummer said. “With extremely cold weather expected to continue, it is important for each of us to take the proper precautionary steps to protect ourselves, our homes and to check on our neighbors.”
State Homeland Security Director Perry Plummer offered the following recommendations:
If you need fuel:
Call your local provider and stay on the line. With high call volumes, wait times may exceed 10 minutes.
If your service provider is unavailable and you are using oil, call other service providers in your area.
If your situation becomes urgent and you have exhausted all other means, call 2-1-1 for warming center information.
Close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels or rags in the cracks under doors and cover windows at night.
To help keep pipes from freezing:
Let your faucets drip a little.
Wrap pipes in insulation, heat tape or layers of old newspapers. Cover the insulation material with plastic to keep out moisture.
Learn how to shut off water valves in case a pipe bursts. If the pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags.
Only use alternate heat sources that are recommended for in home use:
Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
Electrical space heaters should be plugged directly into an outlet and kept three feet away from combustibles, like curtains.
Never use a salamander type portable heater because they give off large amounts of carbon monoxide and are not safe for indoor use.
Use caution when thawing pipes with a device such as a hairdryer and only use such devices while you are present.
If you have heat, consider doing the following:
Keep your heat at the normal temperature. If for some reason your heat is interrupted, or you lose power, the residual heat in your home will delay potential discomfort and a possibly dangerous situation from developing while help arrives.
Set up automatic fuel deliveries from your service provider for the remainder of the winter because households receiving automatic deliveries receive services first.
Book your fuel deliveries now as providers are booking weeks in advance.
New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management coordinates the State’s response to natural and human-caused disasters. NH HSEM also provides planning and training in preparation for possible terrorist attacks. For additional information about NH HSEM, go to www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/hsem. Follow NH HSEM updates on Twitter at twitter.com/NH_HSEM and Facebook at www.facebook.com/NH.HSEM. Also, sign up for the free NH Alerts service and download the free NH Alerts mobile app to receive location-specific emergency information via your landline, mobile and smartphones, including severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service and emergency information from NH HSEM. To learn more about the free NH Alerts service and to download the free NH Alerts app, visit: www.readynh.gov.