Cold Waves: Mitigation
Individuals and communities can minimize the impacts of cold waves by developing effective mitigation strategies. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with FEMA and the American Red Cross, has published Winter Storms: The Deceptive Killers as a guide to help people prepare for the impacts of winter weather. The guide helps to educate people about the dangers of being outside or traveling, the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning in motor vehicles and from portable heaters and power generators in homes, the danger of house fires, and the danger of frostbite and hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold weather (Table 2-2). The wind chill index is frequently used to alert the general public to the dangers of exposure to cold. The index combines wind speed and temperature to measure their combined effect on the human body. Table 2-2. Wind chill chart.
Communities should be prepared for the disruptions that cold waves can cause. Officials should ensure adequate supplies of salt and snow removal equipment are available. Water lines leading into homes should be insulated to reduce the likelihood of freezing. Farmers should be prepared to provide water from alternate sources, additional feed, and adequate shelter for livestock.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||