{"id":16470,"date":"2025-12-04T13:22:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=16470"},"modified":"2025-12-08T14:08:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:08:42","slug":"rhhd-shares-winter-weather-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/rhhd-shares-winter-weather-safety-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"RHHD Shares Winter Weather Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>December 4, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, <a href=\"mailto:bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov\">bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>RHHD Shares Winter Weather Safety Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>RICHMOND, Va.<\/strong> \u2013 Richmond and Henrico Health Districts RHHD encourage community members to prepare for winter weather at home and on the road by building emergency kits and understanding cold weather hazards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t let winter weather take you by surprise,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Acting Local Health Emergency Coordinator Alyssa Lewis. \u201cNow is the time to make sure your home, family, friends, and neighbors are ready for the winter season. We encourage everyone to create basic kits for your home and vehicles, know what hazards affect your area, and know how to keep your loved ones safe. A little preparation now can prevent an emergency later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RHHD offers these tips to help you and your family prepare for winter weather:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep at least one emergency kit at home and one in your vehicle.<\/strong>gov has a great list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/kit\">basic kit necessities<\/a> and options for making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/low-and-no-cost\">low-cost kits<\/a>. If there\u2019s a baby in the home, make sure the kit includes formula and\/or breast milk supplies, diapers, and other necessary items. Anyone with prescription medications should place a few weeks\u2019 worth in their kit. If you freeze or refrigerate breast milk or prescription medication, add a cooler to your kit checklist. Finally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/pets\">Don\u2019t forget about your pets<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep warm safely. <\/strong>The improper use of some heat sources can lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/carbon-monoxide\/about\/index.html\">carbon monoxide poisoning<\/a> or death. In the event of a power outage and freezing temperatures:\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid using stovetop burners or an oven to heat your home.<\/li>\n<li>Keep generators outdoors and separate from the home.<\/li>\n<li>If your car becomes stranded:\n<ul>\n<li>Clear snow from the exhaust pipe.<\/li>\n<li>Run the motor about 10 minutes each hour for heat.<\/li>\n<li>While running the motor, open an upwind window (the direction the wind is coming from) slightly for ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Write down the contact information and directions to your local<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rva.gov\/human-services\/heat-relief-resources#:~:text=The%20inclement%20weather%20(IWS)%20shelter,NOT%20a%20year%2Dround%20shelter.&amp;text=The%20IWS%20provides%20dinner%20and,come%2C%20first%2Dserved%20basis.\"><strong>Inclement Weather Shelter<\/strong><\/a><strong> or warming center.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>City of Richmond Inclement Weather Shelter (IWS)<\/strong><br \/>\n1900 Chamberlayne Parkway<br \/>\nRichmond, VA, 23222<br \/>\nOpen 5 p.m.-8 a.m.<br \/>\nThe IWS is for single adult men and women and can accommodate service animals. All guests can access heated indoor space, restrooms, seating, light snacks and beverages, dinner, ADA-accessible areas, hygiene kits, weekly health services van, mobile showers twice monthly, bed bug treatment, and onsite security. Access to the shelter is on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extended Hours: The IWS may remain open after 8:00 a.m. in the event of:\n<ul>\n<li>Temperatures \u2264 40\u00b0F, or<\/li>\n<li>Freezing rain or snow greater than one inch over a 24-hour period<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Families may access the <strong>Community Resource &amp; Training Center (CRTC)<\/strong> between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>1900 Chamberlayne Parkway<br \/>\nRichmond, VA, 23222<\/p>\n<p>Call 804-646-3111 or email <a href=\"mailto:homeless@rva.gov\">homeless@rva.gov<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/rvalibrary.org\/about\/hours\"><strong>Richmond Public Library<\/strong><\/a> branches serve as warming spaces during normal operating hours.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.henricolibrary.org\/locations\"><strong>Henrico County libraries<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/henrico.gov\/rec\/parks\/\"><strong>recreation centers<\/strong><\/a> are open to the public during normal operating hours.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check weather conditions before driving.<\/strong> If you\u2019re not familiar with driving in the snow, or your vehicle isn\u2019t built for extreme weather, consider delaying your trip. A wet day with freezing temperatures overnight can create icy streets the following day. Visit the Virginia Department of Transportation for more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdot.virginia.gov\/travel-traffic\/driver-safety\/weather\/\">winter driving tips<\/a>. If you plan to travel, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) provides travel advisories on current road conditions and weather forecasts. Travelers can easily access weather information by dialing 511, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or via the website at <a href=\"https:\/\/511.vdot.virginia.gov\">vdot.virginia.gov<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check for impairment before driving<\/strong>. Distractions, drowsiness, drugs, and alcohol can impair your driving. Traffic crashes are preventable. Keep loved ones and community members safe by arranging for a designated driver, making use of rideshares or the Greater Richmond Transit Company\u2019s (<a href=\"https:\/\/ridegrtc.com\/\">GRTC<\/a>) fare-free bus lines, or by gathering at home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more information and winter weather safety tips, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/winter-ready\">ready.gov\/winter-ready<\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 4, 2025 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov RHHD Shares Winter Weather Safety Tips RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 Richmond and Henrico Health Districts RHHD encourage community members to prepare for winter weather at home and on the road by building emergency kits and understanding cold weather hazards. \u201cDon\u2019t let winter weather take you by surprise,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16470","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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