2011 is nearly over and what a wild weather year it has been in New England. We experienced snow, rain, cold, snow-rain mix, more rain, more snow, and then rain, rain, rain and finally in June tornadoes struck. After a brief cooler than normal summer we faced the destructiveness of Irene drenching us (no flooding us), an earthquake vibrated us, and finally we were buried under a late October snowfall leaving a wide path of power outage for a week or more. After another week to clear down wires, fallen trees and broken branches, we have finally settled down to an unusually warm November.

The Farmer’s Almanac for 2012 forecasts says to get ready for a “Wet, wild winter!” Oh, boy… what do we have to do to be prepared? New England weather has lots of lessons to impart if we listen and heed the advice. A true Yankee understands the concept of being prepared. We own the heavy jackets and coats along with warm gloves and boots. We know the importance to keeping head, hands and feet warm and dry. We know the value of flannel, fleece, wool and corduroy and the process of layering. When driving we watch for road heaves and potholes. Yet, there is more we can do.

“Be prepared and don’t be caught off-guard,” says M. Sanjayan, lead scientist of The Nature Conservancy, the largest conservation organization in the world. Taking preventive action is the best defense against having to deal with the consequences of extreme weather conditions. By preparing home and car in advance for winter emergencies, and by observing safety precautions during times of extremely cold weather, you can reduce the risk of weather-related health problems.

Here are a few things you might not have thought about:

1.  Install easy-to-read indoor/outdoor thermometer. Know the temperature before you head outside.

2.  Obtain a battery-powered radio for listening to local emergency instructions. Have extra batteries.

3.  Stockpile drinking water, canned no-cooked foods (with an manual can opener), crackers, dried fruit and powdered milk.

4.  Battery-powered lanterns, flashlights and fresh batteries.

5.  Have at least an alternative heat sources in case the power goes out — fireplace or generator.

6.  Maintain safety equipment: chemical fire extinguisher, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector.

7.  Cell phone, portable charger and extra batteries.

8.  Road salt, sand or kitty litter

9.  Buy a freezer thermometer. If the power is out, anything below 40 degrees is safe to consume.

10. If the power goes out, unplug or trip the electrical breakers for electronics and appliances. Often when the power returns, the surge may be more than these devices can handle.