The long, warm, and smoky late summer may have fooled us into thinking winter would never come, but it will. Remember power outages? We'll likely see some of those this winter and maybe eventually some cold temperatures too.So that means it's time to start preparing. There are some simple things you can do to make sure your home and vehicle are ready for winter:Home Prep

• Clean your wood stove and chimney.
• Stock up on firewood/propane.
• Trim branches that are close to chimneys.
• Clean gutters.

Vehicle Prep

• Make sure your car always has windshield fluid and at least a half tank of gas.

You also need to look at your emergency supplies to make sure you have what you need:Home Supplies

• A minimum supply of two weeks of food per person/animal
• An emergency supply of water (one gallon per person per day, and don't forget the water needs of pets and livestock)
• Backup supply of prescription meds
• Flashlights
• Candles
• Matches
• Generator and fuel (if you don't have an alternate source of heat)
• Battery-powered radio
• Batteries
• Bucket to collect pond water or rainwater for flushing toilets
• Hand sanitizer
• An outside grill and fuel
• Fully charged cell phone chargers

Vehicle Supplies

• Blanket(s)
• Food and water
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Windshield scraper
• Cell phone charger cords and ports
• Flares or other roadside markers for low visibility emergencies