City Urges Residents to Prepare for Life-Threatening Cold Snap

DUBUQUE, Iowa –  The City of Dubuque is urging residents to take precautions over the next three days as life-threatening cold temperatures impact the ares.

Residents are encouraged to stay indoors if possible.  If you must go outside, wear layers of warm clothing, limit your time outside, and watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.

Precautions should be taken to prevent water lines and meters inside homes and businesses from freezing. Water lines in basements, unheated crawl spaces, and outside walls may be especially susceptible to freezing.

Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven because doing so can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. If you use an electric space heater, please take steps to make sure it does not start a fire.

If you experience a power outage at your home, do NOT call 9-1-1 to report it.  Please notify your electrical utility (Alliant Energy at 1-800-255-4268 or Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative at 1-800-582-8998) immediately.

If you find yourself in a dangerous situation during this cold snap and need help, call 9-1-1 for assistance or 563-589-4415 for non-emergency issues outside of business hours.  (Please do not call these numbers to complain about internet outages, your neighbor blowing snow on your property, or your dissatisfaction with service at a local restaurant. Yes, unfortunately, some people call 9-1-1 about such things.)

Also, consider checking on your neighbors. Older adults and young children are more at risk in extreme cold and residents who are new to the area may not be accustomed to dealing with these extreme conditions. (Let’s all be good neighbors.)

For detailed information on extreme cold events, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and portable heater safety, visit https://www.cityofdubuque.org/152/Health-Services.  

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