We’ve written before about preparing for the unexpected – and often in relation to weather. But in New Orleans, unexpected weather usually means hurricanes.

But from late Monday through Tuesday, January 20-21, 2025, New Orleans experienced record-breaking snowfall – it was at least 10 inches, and the previous New Orleans record was 2.7 inches – a record which had held since back in December of 1963.

The snow was accompanied by high winds which, along with colder than usual temperatures – below freezing – brought windchill factors into the truly dangerous range.

The Mayor declared a public emergency on Monday. Schools, government offices, roads, and many businesses were shut down (some were shut down for days). Monday, many celebrations and events planned for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day had to be cancelled.

We were told that much of the city might be snowed in for at least a couple of days. New Orleans, thankfully, does have some snowplows, but more had to be contracted from Indiana to handle this level of snow.

When I’m in Park City, Utah, during the winter, I expect significant snow. But I’ve been in New Orleans, and here, I don’t expect that – none of us does.

For the very good reason that it almost never happens.

So, how do we deal with this?

Preparation is Key

If you’re a close acquaintance of mine, you have likely heard me use the phrase, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” I use it a lot.

But I use it because it’s good advice – for myself, for my family, for my team. And definitely for RFG’s clients!

On Monday, ahead of the storm, grocery stores saw New Orleanians stocking up on groceries, baby supplies, water. One store had a sign above the carrots, reminding shoppers to get noses for the snowmen they’d build!

Homeowners caulked, covered siding in plastic sheeting, wrapped pipes.

Everyone cranked up their heat.

That’s preparation, absolutely. But the wisest did more, and before the threat of cold and snow.

Here are some things we can do to help prepare for any severe weather-related event:

• Ensure your home is in repair – and make sure the roof is in tip-top shape.
• Insulate – insulation protects against both cold and heat and you’ll be glad of it if/when electric power falls victim to a blizzard or a hurricane, no matter the season.
• Wrap your pipes – you won’t need to redo this often, and any time the temperatures (including windchill factors) drop precipitously, you’ll thank yourself.
• Buy water, fill any empty water jugs or bottles from your taps, fill your bathtub. If the event causes water to be shut off, you’ll need plenty – to drink, to wash with, to clean dishes, to flush the toilet.
• Have sources of light and heat on hand – preferably not electric, in case the event causes a power outage. Candles, flashlights (have a least several of these, keep a few around the house, one in each of your cars, and make sure batteries are all working), oil lamps (all of which provide at least a little heat, and some of which are designed specifically to do so), propane or gas heaters all operate without electricity (but be sure you follow all safety instructions!).
• Food! Ensure you have plenty on hand to feed your household – preferably for at least a week.

I would further recommend the purchase of a snow broom to clear your car. They aren’t expensive, and come in very handy in events like this New Orleans blizzard.

If you’re a business owner, set up all your team to work remotely. Even if you normally require office presence, sometimes it’s better and safer to let people work from home. Be ready to work from home yourself.

Because you do need to stay in business – and if roads are impassible but power is on, or if you all have had to evacuate, and your team and your business can still function if you and your people can still work.

In case of school closures, bring out the cards, the board games, the jigsaw puzzles. If power is knocked out, there’s no television, and too many of our children’s hours, in any event, are spent in front of what people used to call (with reason) “the boob tube” or other screens,

And, if you’re anything like me, make sure you have some good wine on hand to sweeten the experience you’ll be having.

Let’s hope we don’t approach the new snowfall record again for a very long time!

What preparations did you, my fellow Deep-Southerners, make for this snowstorm?

Please click here to email me directly – I’d love to hear your strategies!

Until next time –

Peace,

Eric