Be Aware, Prepared During Low Temperatures

Most of the eastern United States is experiencing bitterly cold temperatures this week. With lingering snow on the ground, it’s a dangerous time for anyone who finds themselves outside for any extended amount of time.

Reporter Chris Schulz spoke with Amber Ziese, a registered nurse and assistant professor at West Virginia University (WVU), about what to look out for and how to stay safe.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Schulz: We are seeing some extreme weather this week in West Virginia. Seems like it’s going to be a pretty cold winter in general. Can you tell me what some of the concerns are for anyone that finds themselves out in this weather?

Ziese: Probably the two biggest ones are going to be frostbite and hypothermia. So anybody that’s outside is at risk for getting frostbite, which is just when the tissue in the skin freezes. So some symptoms that people can feel: their skin will feel cold. It’ll start to get numb, it can change color. So in the early stages, if we go back inside, get warm, remove any cold and wet clothing, typically, the symptoms will go away. If there’s been more damage done, then when people go back inside and get warmed up, those symptoms will remain, and that’s when they need to go and seek medical help, because it can damage even the muscle and the bone, if it’s really bad.

So for hypothermia, that’s another one that people outside are going to be at risk for, that’s when your body temperature drops below 95 (degrees). This happens when people are losing heat faster than their body is able to produce heat. Some symptoms of hypothermia are going to be shivering, slurred speech, shallow, slow breathing. Confusion is a big one, and then lack of coordination. So the problem with hypothermia is once that confusion starts to set in, people don’t realize that they need help or that something is wrong, so they may not know to go back inside or to try to get warmed up. So those are two of the big things that we need to watch for when people are outside in these temperatures.

Schulz: You mentioned going back inside. What are some other steps that people can take to prevent freezing or frostbite and hypothermia under these conditions?

Ziese: Some of the big things that people can do if they are going to be outside is limit the time that they are outside or out in the elements, and stay dry. When you’re cold, you’re going to lose your heat faster, and there’s a higher chance of frostbite. So with all the snow outside, it’s really important to wear waterproof boots. If you can, wear multiple layers, so if you do get wet, maybe only the outer layer is wet. Hands, toes, nose and ears are all at high risk. So wearing gloves, wearing warm socks, toboggans, scarves, anything like that, to help cover up the skin is going to help prevent that.

Schulz: So who is most at risk in the coming days? 

Ziese: The unhoused population, and then any of our workers who are outside.Our people that are going to be working outside, if they can, like I said, wear lots of layers, try to take breaks if they can, to go inside. Any of the public works people that are outside shoveling and trying to get the roads better, construction workers, those are going to be at high risk. And then anybody who, even if they maybe aren’t outside, but don’t have heat to their house for whatever reason, or if they have a broken window in their house and that cold air is getting inside, they’re going to be at risk also.

Schulz: What are some things that the community at large can do to help neighbors ensure that everyone is safe? 

Ziese: People can help out, number one, just by checking on neighbors, especially elderly, or people that have very young babies. So just checking on them, seeing if they need anything, making sure that their heat is working. I know we will probably have some power outages based on the snow and the ice. So working together to help prevent the houses getting too cold.

People can also help by donating cold weather gear like coats, sweatshirts, shoes, hot hands, blankets, anything like that, to any of the local charities or to the warming shelter. And it can be as simple as cleaning out your closet and just getting rid of stuff that doesn’t fit or that you may not want anymore, and just donating it right now so that people can put on multiple layers if they do have to to go outside, or if they are unhoused. 

And then another thing that we can do is if somebody is acting strange, because one of the symptoms of hypothermia is confusion, so if something just doesn’t seem right, or somebody doesn’t look like they’re doing too good, check on them. If you’re unable, you’re driving and you see somebody and you can’t stop, just calling and having a wellness check done on them. That way, if they need medical attention, they can get it.

Schulz: When people are searching for alternative sources of heat, I know that that can also be risky. What’s something that people need to keep in mind as they try to maybe heat their homes, or perhaps specific rooms or their tents.

Ziese: They need to be careful, definitely, for risk of fire. You never want to start a fire inside the house. You also have to be careful with turning the stove on or using the oven to help heat your house. We don’t want anything to catch fire, especially if something gets knocked over, that can catch fire very quickly before anybody is aware. So when people are trying to stay warm, they definitely have to think of the safety aspects of it before they do any kind of alternative ways to heat their homes or to stay warm.

Schulz: Is there anything else about the weather conditions that we’re seeing about what people can do that I haven’t given you a chance to discuss with me?
Ziese: If people do have to be outside for work or based on lack of housing, if they can get inside and warm up, or if they’re wet, if they could go into the library or to a facility or a shelter and at least get the wet clothes off, take their shoes off, their socks off, and let them dry out so that they can be nice and dry before they have to go back outside, that’s going to be a big help. So I think just trying to make sure that they stay warm and stay dry are the big things.