Dressing in layers critical for survival

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — To state the obvious: It's cold outside. But what isn't obvious is that most people — particularly the casual commuters — are not dressed for the bitter temperatures.

“The people who have to be out know how to dress,” said Smokey Anderson, director of Tippecanoe County Emergency Management. 

The problem often is the rest of us.

It's wise to dress in layers, even if you're going to work or to the store, he said.

What if the car breaks down on these quick jaunts, Anderson rhetorically asks. Or what if the driver hits a patch of ice or plows into a deer and the car slides off the road, becoming disabled? Worse yet, what if in the mishap, the car windows are broken?

Now that quick trip turns into a struggle for survival without heat in subzero temperatures.

“It can happen so quick,” he said “It really could be a true emergency.”

Just in case the unpredictable mishap happens, everyone needs to be prepared, Anderson said.

“Everyone should have a winter kit,” he said, suggesting everyone stash extra coats in the trunk for each person in the car, as well as extra blankets, gloves and warm hats. Part of that kit should include ways to block out the wind if the windows get broken.

“They should be prepared for the coldest day of the year, which around here is 40-degrees below zero wind chill," he said.

But for the homeless in the community, this cold isn't a 20-minute inconvenience on a drive to work. It is a day-in, day-out fight from October until spring.

Jennifer Layton, director of the LTHC Homeless Services, said, "We do have over 20 people who are sleeping outside, … not using the shelter or warming station.”

Those are the people who exist out of sight for most of the community.

"Homeless folks need to find a shelter that’s warm," said Dr. Marc Estes, an IU Health physician.

Hypothermia strikes quickly for those exposed to the bitter temperatures that settled in this week, Estes said.

Gina Williams is the shelter director for Lafayette Urban Ministry, which has 44 beds available at its shelter in the 400 block of North Fourth Street.

Those needing a bed need to get registered with Williams between 2 and 4 p.m. weekdays and between 6 and 7 a.m. on weekends, she said. Only those who are registered are guaranteed a bed, she said, noting that a person must register each day for a bed that night.

Layton explained that LTHC Homeless Services provide a place for homeless to eat, do laundry, take a shower and get help finding permanent housing. Its facility closes at 6 p.m. every day, leaving the homeless who visit to fend for themselves until the next day. 

She noted that in this bitterly cold weather, Lafayette Urban Ministry's office will be open from midnight to 7 a.m. to allow those who cannot find shelter to have a warm place to stay.

Estes said people should know the signs of hypothermia in case they unexpectedly find themselves stranded without heat or if they come across one of the homeless.

General signs of hypothermia is a change in mental status — confusion or disorientation, Estes said. In extreme cases of hypothermia, the victim typically disrobes at the end because their bodies have lost the ability to fight the cold and the blood vessels expand, taking the warm blood protecting the core to the extremities and causing the victim to feel extremely hot. This is typically the final phase before death, he said.

But those are the extreme cases. Typically, as the body fights the cold its blood vessels constrict, keeping the blood close to the core. This means the nose, edges of the ears, finger tips and toes begin to sting, indicating frost nip, Estes said. Frost nip goes away when the person warms up, and there is no damage.

Frost bite, however, sets in when the person remains exposed to the cold.

Frost bite is the death of the tissue. Ears, noses, fingertips, toes initially turn white. Longer exposure turns them blue, then purple. When they turn black, it is the death of the tissue. It is a medical emergency that needs treatment as soon as possible, he said.

If this cold snap creates other crises such as power outages, Kristina Chapman, a disaster specialist with the Red Cross of Greater Lafayette, said they will open an emergency shelter if requested by authorities. However, generally speaking, they partner with local shelters to provide them with extra cots or blankets, if needed.  

J&C breaking news reporter Ron Wilkins can be reached at 765-420-5231; follow on Twitter @RonWilkins2