Consider these precautions for travel:
- Fully charge your phone before you leave.
- Make sure your vehicle is winterized, with appropriate antifreeze.
- Let someone know your exact travel route and when you leave and arrive.
- Have cold weather clothing in your vehicle including hats, gloves, coat, shoes, water and snacks in case your vehicle breaks down. Also carry a flashlight and fresh batteries.
- Depending on situation, it usually is better to call 911 for assistance than walk in extreme temperatures to seek help.
Prepare if you go outside:
- Stay indoors if at all possible.
- If you must be outside, wear several layers of clothing. Wear a coat that will break the wind, gloves and hats. Cover as much of your face as possible.
- Avoid wearing cotton wear layers of wool or synthetic material.
- Avoid alcohol. Alcohol makes you feel warmer but you lose heat quicker.
- If you decide to sled, consider wearing a helmet. You only have one brain.
For more cold weather tips, visit the National Weather Service or Centers for Disease Control websites:
What Are the Symptoms of Hypothermia?
Hypothermia symptoms for adults include:
- Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses (shivering is actually a good sign that a person's heat regulation systems are still active).
- Slow, shallow breathing.
- Confusion and memory loss.
- Drowsiness or exhaustion.
- Slurred or mumbled speech.
- Loss of coordination, fumbling hands, stumbling steps.
- A slow, weak pulse.
- In severe hypothermia, a person may be unconscious without obvious signs of breathing or a pulse.
What Is the Treatment for Hypothermia?
Hypothermia is a potentially life-threatening condition that needs emergency medical attention. Seek help immediately. Call 911.
If medical care isn't immediately available:
- Remove any wet clothes, hats, gloves, shoes and socks.
- Protect the person against wind, drafts and further heat loss with warm, dry clothes and blankets.
- Move gently to a warm, dry shelter as soon as possible.
- Begin rewarming the person with extra clothing. Use warm blankets. Other helpful items for warming are: an electric blanket to the torso area and hot packs and heating pad on the torso, armpits, neck and groin; however, these can cause burns to the skin. Use your own body heat if nothing else is available.
- Take the person's temperature if a thermometer is available.
- Offer warm liquids, but avoid alcohol and caffeine, which speed up heat loss. Don't try to give fluids to an unconscious person.
