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HOUSTON (AP) — The Arctic blast of winter weather that is hitting much of the United States this week is bringing with it a host of dangers as people struggle to stay warm and safe. Is.
These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia, and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes uninhabitable.
Public safety officials and experts say there are several ways people can prepare themselves to avoid the dangers of this winter weather and keep themselves safe.
stay safe inside your home
Officials say people should stay indoors during the winter storm. But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, home heating systems running for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because of the deadly fumes produced by furnaces, stoves and heaters.
Carbon monoxide can also form when people use portable generators to stay warm or charge their phones or run a car in their garage.
Because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, people may not know it’s there, said Dr. Alex Harding, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can actually be fatal. They can sneak up on patients and cause anything from a headache or maybe a little nausea to losing consciousness and having seizures,” he said.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said residents should not run generators inside their homes or even in their garages.
“We all don’t want you to sacrifice safety for warmth,” Pena said.
dealing with hypothermia
Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can put people at risk of hypothermia, a condition that occurs when one’s body loses heat faster than it produces it.
“Hypothermia is definitely one of the bigger concerns, especially if we have any kind of certainty like a power grid or power failure,” Harding said.
The risk of hypothermia is higher for a person who is outside, exposed to drafts of wind and is not wearing appropriate clothing or whose clothes have become wet.
“If they have a safe place that’s warm, where they can rest, where they have water and food and all kinds of necessities … then that’s going to limit their exposure to those risks,” Hardin. he said.
But vulnerable populations, such as people with disabilities or the homeless, may have trouble finding a warm and safe place to live. In Houston, officials have worked in recent years to improve their services for individuals with disabilities and the homeless during winter weather and other situations such as natural disasters, said Julian Ochoa, who heads emergency management for vulnerable populations. is the emergency preparedness manager for the Houston office.
Protecting your home’s pipes
Freezing of home pipes during severe winter weather is a particular problem in parts of the South, including Houston, because such equipment is often located outside of structures. But other parts of the country also have to face this problem.
Master plumber Jose Parra of Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical in Houston advises people to insulate any pipes exposed to the outdoors, turn off sprinkler systems and drain water, and ventilate the home during cold temperatures. Let the tap inside drip so water can run. Through and protect pipes.
“A lot of what we’re fixing, I would say 80% to 90%, could have been prevented by doing a little bit of work ahead of time,” Parra said.
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