Snow plow going down a street that is covered in snow
Hazard

Severe Winter Weather

Winter Weather consists of winter storm events in which the main types of precipitation are snow, sleet, or freezing rain.

Relevant Options

Support the study and development of microgrid infrastructure systems to enhance power quality, reliability and resilience for facilities during grid outages and under normal conditions. Beyond strengthening existing systems, increase system redundancy to protect critical infrastructure from power outages. Create a map of detours and educate the public on alternative access points and the evacuation plan. Ensure drafted communications include instructions on preparing to be temporarily stranded. Create or expand a program that provides energy retrofits for public housing. Develop outreach and resource programs that provide clothing and knowledge for homeless populations to deal with being outside in extreme cold, extreme heat and extreme weather events. Create agreements with AirBnB and other home share platforms to educate guests on hazards and emergency exit strategies. Make use of state and federal home weatherization programs for low- and medium-income households. Help connect low-income residents with existing weatherization programs. These programs often provide home insulation, water heater insulation, double-paned windows, thermostats, window coverings, fans Prioritize the proper function of transit, transportaiton, and mobility access points for socially vulnerable populations before, during, and after climate-related events. Encourage utilities to include climate change scenarios in energy load forecasting and in the Integrated Resource Plan. Evaluate the potential effects of these changes in demand on revenue. For example, Enhance emergency communication capabilities and evacuation strategies, routes and safety zones. Encourage utility companies to harden energy infrastructure systems (e.g., poles, lines) against damage from climate-related effects and expand redundancy in the energy network. Coordinate with regional transit providers to identify alternative routes and stops if normal infrastructure is damaged or closed as a result of extreme events. Increase the capacity of residents to be self-reliant for the first few days following an extreme weather emergency. Emergency personnel are often overwhelmed during extreme weather emergencies and neighbors Prioritize road treatment to streets and sidewalks to increase access to critical facilities (e.g., hospitals, emergency medical services, police and fire stations, food suppliers). Develop a coordination plan to clear roads from debris after disasters. Purchase backup generators for the water infrastructure system to provide a sustained minimal level of water services in the event of a catastrophic power loss. Encourage residents to avoid unnecessary energy use at peak times during extreme hot or extreme cold temperatures. Optimize the use of salt and sand to reduce impacts on natural areas and roadway maintenance. Consider opportunities to add multi-modal transportation options (e.g., walking, biking, transit, rail) to areas isolated by threats. Consider how multi-modal transportation options can serve as an additional

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