If you have a life-threatening situation, call 911.

Prepare for difficult commutes – plan your routes and avoid peak commute hours if at all possible. Drive only if necessary and go slow, allowing extra following distance.

Give snow plows room to work. The plows are wide and can cross the centerline or shoulder. Do not tailgate and try not to pass. If you must pass, take extreme caution and beware of the snow cloud.

If you find you cannot drive on a snowy road, make every attempt to move your vehicle completely off the roadway; parallel park as close to the curb as possible if you must park on the road. Don’t park sideways on the road or in an intersection. If you have to leave your car, place your phone number visible on the dashboard. Abandoned vehicles may be towed. To avoid being impounded, return to your vehicle as soon as practical.

To report hazardous road conditions, down or damaged stop or yield signs, call city of Bellevue Utilities 24-hour emergency number 425-452-7840.

To report gas leaks, power outages, and down power lines, please call Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773.

If you use a grill or hibachi to cook or a backup generator, keep them outside with the back up generator. They can produce deadly carbon monoxide gas.

If you have any questions about the food being spoiled: When in doubt, throw it out!

To report a water main break at your home or business, lack of water, hazardous road conditions, down or damaged stop or yield signs, call city of Bellevue Utilities 24-hour emergency number 425-452-7840.

Build Emergency Kits for your family to have at home, in the car and at school or work. Your kit should sustain you for 72 hours or longer. Place in your Emergency Kit:

Food, water, first aid kit, a small tool kit, seasonal clothing, eye protection, flashlight with batteries, gloves, sanitary supplies, sleeping bags and extra blankets. Remember to add those special supplies if you have small children or you care for someone with special needs. Items for your pets also should be included.

Outdoor faucets and pipes, and pipes in unheated garages and crawl spaces are especially vulnerable to freezing. Insulate them with newspaper, rags or other insulating material. Cover with plastic and secure with string or wire. It’s okay to insulate the outside of your meter box, but please don’t put materials such as Styrofoam peanuts inside, as this makes it difficult to perform periodic maintenance.

If a water pipe breaks inside your home or business, immediately turn off the main water shut-off valve and/or water meter to control flooding and water damage. Then call a plumber. The main water shut-off valve is usually located in the basement, garage or outdoors by the foundation. If there is no main shut-off valve, there is a valve in the meter box that you may use in an emergency. Turn clockwise with an adjustable wrench.

Stay inside if possible instead of trying to navigate slippery walkways or roads. If you must go out, have traction devices in your vehicle. Test new chains to make sure they fit (some may not, even though the box says they fit a certain model). Take a cell phone with you in case your car gets stuck.

Locate alternate routes and alternative parking if you live on streets in steep terrain. Stay on main roads.

If you are taking a bus, check to see if schedules have changed because of weather conditions.

Roads that seem dry or just wet may actually be slippery with black ice. Take it slow when approaching intersections, off-ramps, bridges or shady areas; all are hot spots for black ice.

Keep sidewalks next to your home clear of ice and snow, but be careful not to overexert yourself.