The National Weather Services issues warning about freezing weather for Texas for the next several days:

The National Weather Services has issued the following warning about freezing weather that will affect nearly all of Texas over the next several days:

The National Weather Service lists IMPACTS…The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 5 below zero could result in hypothermia or frostbite on exposed skin if precautions are not taken.

This extreme cold will hang on for several days. The public is urged to take measures to protect people from severe wind chill that can cause frost bite to exposed skin and hypothermia. You should also act now to prevent freezing and subsequent damage from frozen water pipes. During recent cold weather events many individuals experienced severe disruptions due to thawing and ruptured water pipes inside their buildings.  Loss of electrical power caused several insurance claims but there are some actions you can take now to mitigate the risk:

• The buildings’ roofs and piping will be exposed to the frigid temperatures. Exposed pipes should be wrapped, and warm air should be forced to these areas to maintain a temperature above 40°F.
• Keep heat on in your facilities over the weekend
• Use portable heaters where safe to help prevent freezing
• As a last resort, the Fire Suppression System can be drained to remove water from the piping, if the building suffers a loss of power and no remedy is in sight to keep the area at a temperature above 40°F. If this step is taken, the Fire Marshal must be notified, and a 24-hour fire watch initiated.
• When the thaw begins station people in all your affected buildings to alert to flowing water and shut off water as soon as possible
• Protect outside hose faucets
• Know where water cut-off valves are and have the tools necessary to close the valves.
• Make sure any portable or building wide generators are fueled, well maintained and ready to operate.
• Make sure any portable generators or heaters are properly vented to prevent carbon monoxide build up and possible asphyxiation
• Implement Emergency Action Plans, especially if evacuation of group homes or respite facilities may be necessary due to loss of power or inability to keep people warm.

Employee Injury Exposures

• Sustained freezing temperatures
  • Risk mitigation
    • Provide heat
      • Portable heaters where applicable
    • Slip and fall from icy, frozen sidewalks and parking lots
      • Risk mitigation, if necessary
        • Shovel ice and snow from walkways
        • Salt all walkways
      • Storm prep
        • Strains and sprains from lifting and moving materials
        • Slips, trips and falls from cords, cables, ladders and uneven ground
        • Struck by tools and materials
        • Caught in between moving equipment
        • Risk mitigation for all above
          • Conduct a safety meeting prior to storm prep to inform the team of the potential injury risk exposures

Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible about any water damage so they can help you contact companies that can remove water and dry out your wet areas and assign independent adjusters to visit your affected locations.