Here are 5 Vital New Year’s Eve Safety Tips You Need to Know!  Ed Cantu Insurance Agency wishes you the best in 2022 and we want to help you start your year without a costly bang!!!  As we celebrate the year, remember that too much celebration can be dangerous.  These 5 tips will help keep you safe as we start the new year.

Drinking and driving is Dangerous-

Drinking and driving is not only dangerous to you and your passengers, it’s also a danger to drivers and pedestrians around you. Did you know January 1^st is the day with the highest percentage of deaths related to alcohol according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety? In past years, more then 42% of all traffic deaths during the holiday are directly caused by alcohol.

Plan a Sober Ride in Advance-

Drinking while celebrating the new year is common so plan for a sober ride if you intend to drink. Have a designated driver or ask a sober friend or family member for a ride. Take a ride share company or even a cab. Here is a list of Free or discounted ride services to help keep you safe and avoid driving while intoxicated.

Use a ride share company or a Free Cab service.  Green-N-Go Cabs will offer a free taxi ride home to anyone that feels like they overdid it on “bubbly” this New Year’s Eve.  Call (361)-299-9999 or text this number with their name and location. Rides will be available from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m.  Yellow Cab will offer a free taxi ride home to anyone in need on New Year’s Eve.  Call (361) 299-9999 or text this number with your name and location. Rides will be available from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m.

Even when you or your driver is sober, there is a good chance a driver near you may not be sober so remember to drive defensively and stay alert. Alcohol related auto accidents are highest between the hours of 8pm – 3am.

Be Aware of your Surroundings-

There are individuals who will take advantage of the situation during a holiday notorious for lots of drinking. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged before you leave home so that you can stay in contact with others. Travel in groups with people you know and never accept a drink from a stranger. Don’t be afraid to say something if you feel uncomfortable with someone you think may be a danger to you or your group.

Beware of Fireworks-

Fireworks are fun and pretty to look at but they can be extremely dangerous and possibly illegal. Depending on your location, lighting any firework could be illegal. Even if someone else is lighting a firework on your property, you can be held criminally liable for any damage or injuries. Don’t forget about your pets.  Although it’s against the law to use fireworks within the City, you know they will be used so please help comfort your pets and keep them indoors to prevent them form running away.  All too often, pets bolt when they hear loud noises. Dogs have actually run through glass windows.

Eat Dinner- Avoiding alcohol poisoning is important. Foods high in protein such as cheese, meat and nuts are helpful. These foods will slow down the absorption of alcohol in the digestive system. This will give the alcohol more time to metabolize in the body resulting in a lower risk or alcohol poising. Our liver metabolizes about one alcoholic drink per hour. A good rule of thumb is a 12 oz. beer = 4-5 oz. of wine = 1.5 oz. of hard liquor. By sipping a drink rather than chugging it, your body will have more time to metabolize the alcohol which will result in less of a hangover. You should also consider snaking on nuts while drinking.

So to recap… Don’t drink and drive, plan for a safe and sober form of transportation, be aware of your surroundings, avoid the dangerous of fireworks, safeguard your pets, and make sure you eat. These are five simple tips that can save your life. Don’t let the dangers of New Year’s ruin your celebration. Be prepared, have a good time, and have a safe, happy New Year!

Because We Care!

Ed Cantu

Dear South Texas Friends,

With a harsh cold front moving across Texas, we want to share some helpful tips and resources that you and your friends can use to help protect your home from any impending freeze.  Check out this Q&A section, along with the links below, to discover more about preventing frozen pipes and preparing your home for winter storms.

Q: Should we just drip the cold water… Is it important to drip the hot, too?

A: Yes, run both.  Most plumbers who repair pipes following a freeze say 70% of the pipes they repair are the hot water pipes.   If the pipe is surrounded by cold air, especially cold wind, it will start ice growth.  The ice grows from the wall of the pipe inward until it creates a blockage, then ice grows along the length of the pipe. That growth along the length of the pipe acts like a piston that elevates the water pressure in the pipe. It’s the pressure that causes the rupture.

Q: So why does that mean hot water pipes are more likely to burst?

A: It’s the toilet.  Often you have one line that feeds a bathroom: the tub, toilet, lavatory all coming off the same line.  If you imagine pressure building up in the waterline, all it has to do is force the ball float to go down a little (in the toilet tank), allowing water to dribble into the tank, relieving the pressure on the cold water pipe (The hot water pipe doesn’t have that relief).

Q: Do you need to keep the water running in a pencil-thin stream? Or will just a drip work?

A: It doesn’t matter how fast the drip is. The slower the drip, the less water wasted.  The rupture is due to pressure.  If you have some kind of pressure relief (by leaving the faucet open), the (ice) piston can keep on pushing, but nothing will rupture.

Q: Should you still run the water if you’ve insulated your pipes?

A: An incomplete insulation job is probably worse than no insulation. If you’re using the foam tubes, you have to look very closely at what’s happening at the plumbing fittings, the elbow, or tee. Lots of times, people will put the tube on the straight section and leave the fittings exposed. You really want to protect the whole pipe and fittings.

Q: Our weather reports always talk about hard freezes and light freezes. When should you worry about your pipes?

A: It’s not just cold temperatures, but cold temperatures blowing on the pipe. The wind is the real kicker. Protecting against drafts is really the key.  And we know how hard the breezy it is in South Texas.

We hope you find these tips helpful and that will take action to prevent your home from water damage after the freeze.  Our office is here to help you and now is a good time to allow us to review your protection!  Call us today at (361) 991-1493 for a free, no obligation insurance protection review!

Because We Care

Ed

Ed Cantu Insurance Agency

The 2020 Hurricane Season has been the most active one decades and it’s not over yet!

Tropical Depression 22 could turn into this year’s next Tropical Storm or Hurricane. According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hurricanes may pose the greatest threat to life and property but tropical storms and depression also can be devastating. The primary hazards from tropical cyclones are storm surge flooding, inland flooding from heavy rains, destructive winds, tornadoes, and high surf and rip currents. Regardless the storm size, now is the time to prepare!

Things to do and have now:

*Create an emergency communication plan with your family before a hurricane.

*Be aware of emergency alerts and warnings and how to share them with your loved ones.

*Know your evacuation route and where temporary shelters may be set up to serve your area.

*Create a plan to let friends and family outside of the area know you’re safe or that you need help.

*Have emergency supplies in place at home, at work, and in the car.

*Below is a basic kit; you should also think about your pets and any medication you may need.

*Water- one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation.

*Food- at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.

*Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.

*Have Flashlight, extra batteries, First Aid kit, Whistle to signal for help.

*Have dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation.

*Have wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, manual can opener for food, local paper maps (Cell phone service could be down)

*Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery.

It’s too late to add or make changes to your insurance policies now so have your valuable insurance papers and other important paperwork with you and call Ed Cantu Insurance Agency at (361) 991-1493 after this storm clears to prepare for the next one.

Stay tuned to the weather channel and go to https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane for additional Hurricane Safety Tips.

Because We Care

Ed Cantu

Ed Cantu Insurance Agency

www.SmartWindstormInsurance.com