Time to Fall Back, Check Smoke, Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Today is the last day of Daylight Saving Time, as we all early Sunday morning.

Now while this might cause some to sigh, realizing that the darker days of Winter are right around the corner, Lindenhurst residents could rest assured tonight knowing they'll be getting an extra hour of sleep.

Just be sure to turn clocks back by one hour tonight or else risk running late for any activities one might have tomorrow. For at 2 a.m. Sunday morning Daylight Saving Time Ends and Standard Time begins, lasting till next March.

(For a primer as to why we Fall back and Spring forward, click here.)

While residents are turning their clocks back - making sure everything from traditional wall clocks and wrist watches to the digital clocks in their cars, laptops, phones and other electronic devices are properly set - there are a few other things that the American Red Cross advises residents of Lindenhurst and elsewhere to do.

For one, the American Red Cross recommends that everyone take the time to get prepared for Fall and Winter by checking their emergency preparedness supplies - a step that could save time during an emergency. (Necessary tiems could be found online at the American Red Cross store website.)

The non-profit organization also recommends that residents check the batteries in their smoke alarms, and make sure the alarms work by pushing the test button.

It’s also a good time for everyone to check their carbon monoxide detectors. Folks should replace the batteries in both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a year, according to the American Red Cross.

Other recommended steps residents could take to prepare include:

• Update the emergency contact information in their family communications plan. Choose an out-of-area emergency contact that each person in the household could call if he/she becomes separated during a disaster situation.
• Make certain their emergency preparedness kit still includes at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food items and water (one gallon per person per day), a flashlight, a battery-powered or crank radio, can opener, first aid kit, copies of important documents and special items such as medications, diapers and infant formula.
• Check their emergency preparedness kit for expired food items, and refresh staples such as water, food and batteries. If there've been changes in prescriptions or dietary needs, then add new foods and medications as needed.

Residents could find more emergency preparedness tips and learn how families could get ready for an emergency on the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org. Tips could also be found at the ARC blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Last, but not least, while preparing to Fall back tonight, Lindenhurst residents should take a few extra minutes to ensure that their loved ones are better prepared for the unexpected, according to the American Red Cross.

To that end, residents could also click to find a printable emergency contact list prepared by Lindenhurst Patch in advance of at the end of August 2011. They could also click for a list of emergency supplies that they should have on hand that was also prepared at the end of August by Patch staff in adavnce of the storm.

Click for tips about how to care for animals and keep them safe during a storm or other disaster, and check the RedCrossDog blog at http://redcrossdog.wordpress.com/ for further information.

And don't miss FEMA experts at the , from , 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Details could be found here and .

(Note: The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Suffolk is now closed, and the deadline to register for FEMA aid was set for October 31, 2011.)