Heat
The milder condition, heat exhaustion, shows as heavy sweating, cool and clammy skin, a fast and weak pulse, nausea, cramps, dizziness and headache. Move the person somewhere cool, loosen their clothing, apply wet cloths and give sips of water. Get medical help if they vomit, get worse, or have not improved within an hour.
In heat stroke, the body temperature reaches 103 degrees or more, the skin is hot and red, the pulse is fast and strong, and the person becomes confused or passes out. Call 911, then cool them by any means available, such as a cool bath, wet cloths or a hose in the shade. Do not give anything to drink. On the hottest days, drink before you are thirsty, and never leave a child or a pet in a parked car.
Cold
Hypothermia begins when body temperature falls below 95 degrees, and it happens in cool rain as readily as in snow. The signs are hard shivering, exhaustion, fumbling hands, slurred speech, drowsiness and confusion. Shivering that stops is a bad sign, not a good one. Call 911, move the person into warmth, and remove wet clothing. Warm the chest, neck, head and groin first with blankets or skin contact, and give a warm drink only if the person is fully awake. Alcohol makes it worse.
Frostbite turns skin numb, white or grayish-yellow, and firm or waxy to the touch. Do not rub it, and avoid walking on frostbitten feet. Rewarm the area in warm water, never hot, and keep it away from stoves and heating pads, because numb skin burns without warning.
Storms and floods
- A watch means conditions favor a hazard, and a warning means it is happening or imminent, so act on a warning at once.
- In a tornado warning, go to the lowest floor and an interior room without windows, cover your head, and leave any mobile home or car for a sturdy building.
- When you hear thunder, go indoors or into a hard-topped vehicle, and wait thirty minutes after the last rumble.
- Never drive into a flooded road, because six inches of moving water can knock you down and a foot can float most cars.
After the power goes
Run a generator outdoors and at least twenty feet from the house. Keep the refrigerator closed, since it holds a safe temperature for about four hours and a full freezer for about forty-eight.
Tip Leave emergency alerts switched on in your phone's settings, and keep a battery-powered weather radio for the night the cell towers fail.
