Q: We are getting all settled in the wonderful house you sold us a few months ago.

But being a couple of "city kids" as well as first time home buyers, we don't have clue about what we should be doing to get ready for bad weather and power outages. Where do we start?

A: If you haven’t done it already, be sure to clean out your gutters. If the gutters are clogged with leaves and debris the rainwater will just flow over the gutters and down the sides of the house. That can rot out your siding. Once it freezes those gutters full of leaves form an ice dam and water will not only cascade off the roof but will wick up into the underlayment of the roofing and rot the roofing out.

Be sure you have plenty of flashlights, safe candle holders and candles and even some battery powered lanterns. This Thanksgiving most of us at the south end of the Island were out of power for about six hours. We still had a good time at my house because we had alternative heat, lots of candles and lanterns, and our turkey was already out of the oven when the lights went out. We were lucky.

It’s really important that you have your chimney cleaned. Creosote build up is one of the major causes of house fires. Be sure your furnace has been serviced and the filters cleaned or replaced. We all spend more time indoors at this time of year and need to protect the quality of our indoor air. Clean off walkways and decks so that they don’t get slick and slippery. Add non-stick strips or outdoor carpeting on decks for safety. Clean dryer vents. Have your car serviced and keep ice scrappers and extra blankets in the car.

I have a list of tips to be ready for power outages that I’m happy to share with anyone. You can pick up the list at my office or ask for it and I’ll email it to you. There’s a lot to know to be ready.