Winter Safety Awareness
Keeping the NYCHA Community Safe
Winter weather can create hazardous conditions such as snow, ice, and extreme cold; preparing for them is the best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department would like to share some important winter safety tips and guidance – working together, we can prevent accidents and keep NYCHA communities safe!
Plan and Prepare
- Create a communication and household disaster plan for your family: Involve your entire family in planning and practicing how to stay healthy, informed, calm, and connected during an emergency.
- Winterize your Go Bag by adding a blanket, warm socks, and gloves.
Winter Storm/Cold Weather Emergency
- Listen to the news or visit nyc.gov/severeweather for weather updates.
- Follow the guidance of local officials and weather-related notifications.
- Sign up for Notify NYC to get emergency alerts.
- Do not forget the needs of pets and service animals when severe cold weather strikes. Learn more here.
Community Care
- Check on neighbors, especially if they are elderly or vulnerable, to make sure they have adequate heat.
- If you see someone in distress due to cold weather, call 911 immediately.
Snow and Ice Safety
- Use extreme caution when walking on sidewalks, steps, ramps, and entryways — black ice may not be visible.
- Wear footwear with non-slip soles.
- Use handrails where provided.
Learn About Frostbite and Hypothermia
Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers, and toes.
Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.
Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.
Actions: Go to a warm room. Warm the center of the body first: chest, neck, head, and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.
Warming Centers for NYCHA Residents
If your building loses heat for an extended time, the outdoor temperature is low, and repairs are estimated to take a long time, NYCHA may open a local warming center. You can go spend time at the warming center if your apartment feels too cold. If a warming center opens for your building, you will be notified via a robocall and a flyer telling you the location of the center.
Heat, Fire, and Carbon Monoxide Safety
Electric space heaters can be very dangerous. Space heaters need space – always keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from a portable space heater.
Space heaters must be used safely:
- Turn off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
- Plug them directly into a wall outlet instead of into an extension cord. Never plug more than one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater) into an outlet at a time.
Never use the oven, stove, grills, or open flames to heat your home. Doing so could lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, causing severe illness and potentially death.
Ensure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working. Report missing or non-functioning devices immediately to the Customer Contact Center (CCC) at 718-707-7771.
📞 Reporting Problems
If you lose heat, submit a work order ticket using MyNYCHA (nyc.gov/MyNYCHA) or by calling the CCC at 718-707-7771.
If you have questions about this or any environmental health and safety matter, please email ehs@nycha.nyc.gov. Residents, employees, and any member of the public can submit environmental health and safety concerns at on.nyc.gov/submit-concern.
For more information on winter safety preparedness, please visit: