Even when warmth and a sturdy roof is secured, it is not yet time to grow complacent about the potential dangers still present in the wake of Winter Storm Avery.

For instance, a woman in Clay Township needed rescued over the weekend from fumes emanating from her emergency generator, according to Reid Campbell, a captain with the West Sunbury Volunteer Fire Department.

“The generator was sitting just three feet from the garage door,” Reid said. “And the exhaust was aimed at the door.”

The woman in question, he said, was semi-conscious in a bedroom that was above the garage.

Emergency responders found 300 parts per million concentration of carbon monoxide in her bedroom.

“If we found nine parts per million, we would tell you that you need to go and live somewhere else until it cleared,” Reid said.

Reid said that avoiding such a disaster requires mindfulness when operating a generator. Keep it away from doors and windows and potential entry routes into closed spaces, he said. And be sure to check which direction the exhaust is pointing.

Stop at the lights

Most of the county has power restored, meaning most of the area’s stoplights are functioning again.

However, some scattered lights still aren’t operating, resulting in dangerous surprises for drivers.

One of the last signals to be restored on Route 8 is at the road’s intersection with Beech Road in Butler.

The North Main Street Church of God sits at the intersection. Power was restored at the church Monday afternoon, according to Dave Wilson, an administrative pastor. But the traffic light didn’t resume working.

“As far as I know, it’s been out since the start of this whole thing,” Wilson said Tuesday morning.

It has injected a bit of panic into the morning commutes of people who live on Beech Road. Traffic on Route 8 has been flowing through the light as if it didn’t exist.

Curtis and Theresa Tosi said they’ve been waiting at the nonfunctioning signal for an opening to dash onto the street. At some time, that opening is hard to find. Left turns are impossible.

“I always just go right, then turn and come back,” Theresa said. “There’s no way I’m crossing all those lanes.”

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation drivers manual, nonfunctioning lights should be treated like four-way stop signs. Curtis said he has been frustrated that few drivers are treating it this way.

Throw it out

For the many who lost power over the weekend, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers specifications on whether to trust a refrigerator full of food that was kept carefully closed.

Perishable food kept in a refrigerator should be thrown out if the power was out for longer than four hours, the center recommends. This includes meat, fish and eggs.

Anything with an unusual color, odor or smell should also be discarded.