Emergency Supplies Available Tax-Free
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ROCKWALL (CBSDFW.COM) - It is severe weather season across North Texas. Powerful storms rocked parts of the DFW area just last month, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines, and more severe weather could arrive on Friday night. It has been quiet for the past few weeks, but anything can happen at almost any time.
That makes this weekend the perfect time to stock up on supplies that may be needed to weather any storm -- and save money while you shop!
Emergency items are tax-free this weekend. That includes batteries, fuel containers, first aid kits, flashlights, phone chargers, fire extinguishers and tarps, all priced $75 or less, as well as portable generators priced $3,000 or less. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items that shoppers can purchase.
The tax-free weekend runs Saturday through Monday.
People in North Texas know that floods, fires and tornadoes can strike quickly. So, local emergency management officials have set up a website to help residents create personalized disaster plans for any situation. "It's tailored to our region," said Tarrant County assistant emergency management coordinator Matthew Honza. "It's a good resource for our citizens to go to plan for their neighbors, their family members, their pets. It's a great resource to get information on how they can prepare for severe weather, winter weather and our summer heat."
One item that everyone should consider getting this weekend, Honza said, is a weather radio. "You can get those alerts directly from the National Weather Service as soon as they're issued," he said. "If there's a Tornado Warning, especially in the middle of the night when we get a lot of storms, you may not hear it. But, if you have a weather radio in your bedroom or home, you'll hear that alert go off."
Weather radios are among the many tax-free items this weekend. But there are some things that you may need which are not included. Car batteries, camping supplies and chainsaws are not exempt.