Extreme Cold Endangering Lives

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I spent the other night outdoors, because I am job and apartment searching and couldn't afford my Airbnb. A family member helped the next day, after I realized I'd developed frostnip.
If you are wondering why "the" homeless -- a cruel way to categorize individuals -- avoid shelters, consider this: I have had a respiratory illness and no private rooms are available.
A warming center I considered allows pets. I am terrified of pitbulls and some other breeds.
Bundling up, I neglected a crucial body part: my wrists. With so many layers, my sweaters scooched up my arms, causing me to look like that kid at school whose mother dresses her funny in winter.
But none of this is a laughing matter. When the human body is forced into this extreme cold, frostbite (which is more serious than frostnip) can occur in just a few minutes.
The National Weather Service says, "Exposure to cold can cause frostbite or hypothermia and become life-threatening. Infants and elderly people are most susceptible. What constitutes extreme cold varies in different parts of the country...Here in the north, extreme cold means temperatures well below zero.
Wind Chill is the term used to describe the rate of heat loss on the human body resulting from the combined effect of low temperature and wind. As winds increase, heat is carried away from the body at a faster rate, driving down both the skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature..."
Frostbite is damage to body tissue caused by extreme cold. A wind chill of -20° Fahrenheit (F) will cause frostbite in just 30 minutes. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, ear lobes or the tip of the nose.
If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately, the NWS advises, and "if you must wait for help, slowly rewarm affected areas."
Yet, in my case I was not aware of frostnip til I was inside the next day, so possibly I contracted it then and not overnight. If a homeless individual gets frostbite, they too may be unaware.

Comments

  1. Laurie Diane WieglerFebruary 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM

    To help during thus extreme cold, until I am on my feet, Venmo @Laurie-Wiegler. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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