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![]() NJ Office of Emergency Management |
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NJOEM's Winter Weather Awareness Week: (TRENTON, NJ) – Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of New Jersey State Police and Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, is celebrating Winter Weather Awareness Week beginning today and ending Friday. Each day will bring a new message for family preparedness during the winter months. Today's message: Wind Chill, Frostbite and Hypothermia. What is Wind Chill? Extreme cold can remain even after a winter storm has passed. Prolonged exposure can cause life-threatening frostbite or hypothermia. Infants and the elderly are the most susceptible, but everyone should take basic precautions. Beyond the actual temperature, wind chill demonstrates the way wind and cold combine to affect exposed skin. As the wind speed increases, heat leaches away from the body at an increased rate, driving down the body temperature. The National Weather Service Wind Chill Chart at http://www.weather.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml indicates how quickly the wind and cold can cause frostbite. The following information on hypothermia and frostbite is adapted from information by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more, go to http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/faq.asp What is Hypothermia? Hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature, results when the body starts losing heat faster than it can be produced. Hypothermia can affect the brain, making it difficult for the victim to think clearly or move well, or even to know they are in danger. Hypothermia symptoms include uncontrolled shivering, memory loss, disorientation, and drowsiness. Warning signs in infants include bright red, cold skin and very low energy. If you notice these signs, take the person's temperature. If below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, seek medical help immediately. If medical care is not available:
What is Frostbite? Frostbite is damage to body tissue caused by extreme cold. Symptoms include numbness and a pale color in extremities, such as fingers, toes, earlobes or the nose. Skin may feel unusually firm or waxy. If you detect these symptoms, get medical help immediately and slowly re-warm the affected areas. If medical care is not available:
Family Preparedness Children and adults should follow these winter safety tips:
Family Preparedness For New Jersey residents, the basics of preparedness for nor'easters and winter flooding are virtually the same as preparedness for all hazards, natural or manmade:
Further information on all-hazards preparedness for families can be found at the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management's website, www.state.nj.us/njoem. Similar information can be found in "Plain Talk on Terrorism Preparedness," available from the New Jersey Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force at www.njhomelandsecurity.com/Plain-Talk-12.08.04.pdf; and in "Ready Together New Jersey," from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, at http://www.njhomelandsecurity.com/ready-together-brochure.html. |
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