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DES MOINES Iowa — Energy companies MidAmerican and Alliant have made preparations for the impending ice storm and share some helpful tips with families.

Beginning Friday afternoon and continuing into Saturday morning an ice storm is expected to create dangerous and icy conditions. Energy companies Alliant and MidAmerican are prepared for the possible challenges over the next few days.

MidAmerican has placed multiple line crews and metro tree crews at the various service center locations around Des Moines on standby for Friday night. Similar preparations have also been made in the Quad Cities.

In northeast Iowa, where the storm is expected to be the worst, several storm trailers containing common components that line crews need during restoration have been placed. To report outages and keep up to date, check out the MidAmerican website.

Alliant has made similar preparations and has also released a list of tips to keep everyone safe and warm during the storm.

• Use a sturdy fireplace screen when operating a wood-burning stove or fireplace. 
• Check furnace and water heater vents and keep them clear to prevent equipment malfunction or buildup of carbon monoxide.
• Check your gas meter vents to ensure they haven’t become blocked by snow. 
• Keep heating equipment in good working order. Don’t warm your car up in the garage. This could cause carbon monoxide (CO) to gather in your home. 
• Check the batteries in your CO detector to ensure they are functioning. This is the only way to detect CO – a deadly, odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. 
• Never use a portable generator inside the house or a closed garage. 
• Never use a cooking stove or a grill, either gas or charcoal, to provide heat inside a home. 

Melissa McCarville, Alliant Energy Senior Communications Partner, says the big danger is possible buildup of carbon monoxide.

“Just be aware that carbon monoxide is a big issue when it came to these type of weather issues, because those outside the vents can get blocked,” said McCarville. “So, people and homeowners really want to make sure that they clear those to prevent any equipment malfunction.”

In the past powerlines have been affected by these severe storms, people are asked to report them to Alliant.

“If your power does go out, when it comes to safety, people should avoid clearing snow or the ice that we might get from power lines and avoid downed power lines as they can still be energized,” said McCarville.

Alliant recommends reporting outages on their website, where households can also check the restoration timeline for their area.

“We will make sure that our crews are deployed as soon it is safe to do so. Their safety is also of our concern,” said McCarville. “And so as soon as it’s safe to do so, we will deploy our crews and get power restored safely and efficiently.”