Signs and Treatment of Cold Weather Exposure

• Uncontrollable shivering
• Vague, slow, slurred speech
• Memory lapses; incoherence
• Immobile, fumbling hands
• Frequent stumbling; lurching gait
• Drowsiness
• Apparent exhaustion; inability to get up after a rest.

• Get the person into dry clothing and into a warm bed or sleeping bag with a "hot" water bottle (which should actually be only warm to the touch, not hot), warm towels, heating pad, or some other such heat source.
• Concentrate heat on the trunk of the body first -- that is, the shoulders, chest and stomach.
• Keep the head low and the feet up to get warm blood circulating to the head.
• Give the person warm drinks.
• Never give the person alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers or pain relievers. They only slow down body processes even more.
• Keep the person quiet. Do not jostle, massage or rub.
• If symptoms are extreme, call for professional medical assistance immediately.

If You Must Go Outside . . .

• Avoid overexertion. Cold weather itself, without any physical exertion, puts an extra strain on the heart. If you add to this the strain of heavy physical activity such as shoveling snow, pushing an automobile or even walking too fast or too far, you risk damaging your body.
• Dress warmly in loose-fitting, layered, light-weight clothing. Outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent. Wear a hat. Protect your face and cover your mouth to protect your lungs from very cold air. Wear mittens instead of gloves -- they allow your fingers to move freely in contact with one another and will keep your hands much warmer.
• Watch for frostbite and other symptoms of cold-weather exposure. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, tip of nose, ear lobes. If such symptoms are detected, get medical attention immediately. Do not rub with snow or ice -- this does not help the condition and, in fact, will make it worse. The best treatment for frostbite is the rewarming of the affected tissue, as described above in the section on treatment for cold weather exposure.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcohol causes the body to lose its heat more rapidly -- even though one may feel warmer after drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Keep yourself and your clothes dry. Change wet socks and all other wet clothing as quickly as possible to prevent loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• If paralyzed persons or infants must go outside in severe weather, they should be checked frequently for signs of frostbite.

Car Safety

• Don't panic! Stay in the vehicle. Do not attempt to walk in a blizzard. Disorientation comes quickly in blowing and drifting snow. Being lost in open country during a blizzard is extremely dangerous. You are more likely to be found in your car and will at least be sheltered there.
• Avoid overexertion and exposure. Exertions from attempting to push your car, shoveling heavy drifts, and performing other difficult chores during strong winds, blinding snow, and bitter cold of a blizzard may cause a heart attack -- even for persons in apparently good physical condition.
• Beware of carbon monoxide. Run the engine, heater or catalytic heater sparingly, and only with a downwind window open for ventilation. Make sure that snow has not blocked the exhaust pipe. Keep a downwind window slightly open for fresh air. Freezing rain, wet snow and wind-driven snow can completely seal the passenger compartment.
• Exercise by clapping hands and moving arms and legs vigorously from time to time, and do not stay in one position for long. But don't overdo it. Exercise warms you but it also increases heat loss.
• Take turns keeping watch. If more than one person is in the car, don't all sleep at the same time. If alone, stay awake as long as possible.
• Turn on the dome light at night to make your car more visible to working crews.
• Remember, don't panic. Stay with the car.

• National Weather Service
• Current weather watches and warnings from the National Weather Service
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Good source for general information on emergency/disaster preparation
• Winter Driving Fact Sheet from FEMA

Allan Miller, Director
Davison County Emergency Management
Public Safety Center
1015 South Miller
Mitchell, SD 57301
Phone: 605-995-8640
Fax: 605-995-8643
E-mail: directoroem@davisoncounty.org

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