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...WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS PART FOUR...
Cold conditions can cause a variety of difficulties including frostbite and
hypothermia. The last time temperatures dropped to 5 below zero or colder in
Providence and Boston was January 2004, while the higher elevation location of
Worcester and the countryside location of Windsor Locks, have more frequent
exposures to 5 below zero weather, most recently in January 2005. The National
Weather Service issues Wind Chill Warnings when the combined wind and
temperature's effects feel like 25 below zero in Southern New England, and 30
below zero in both New Hampshire and Vermont. Frostbite is a condition in which
the body tissue actually freezes. The most susceptible areas for frostbite
include the fingers, toe, nose and ear lobes. Hypothermia develops when the body
loses heat faster than it can produce it. Warning signs start with shivering,
and then proceed to include memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred
speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. At this point immediate attention is
necessary, which includes warming the person properly. Temperatures do not have
to be below freezing for hypothermia to develop. It can develop in elderly
people in a cool room with few if any warning signs. In a hypothermic person,
cold blood is concentrated in the extremities. If these extremities are warmed
too quickly, the cold blood will be released into body's central core, possibly
lowering the central core temperature to a fatal level. Use the following steps
to raise the core temperature of a hypothermic person. Get the person into dry
clothing if their clothes are wet. Put on additional clothing to warm the
persons head and trunk such as a hat and vest. Wrap the person in a warm blanket
and be sure their head and neck are covered. Do not cover their extremities.
Give the person warm liquids to drink, but no alcohol, drugs or coffee. Seek
immediate medical attention.
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