HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — This weekend’s winter storm is on everyone’s mind as government officials, utility companies, and residents prepare for the potential of freezing rain and sleet.
Many will stay in their homes as severe weather moves across southeast Texas, and those who need them will seek shelter at warming centers throughout the Houston area.
Below are some helpful tips for weathering the storm safely.
Staying safe inside your home
Officials say people should stay indoors during a winter storm. But home heating systems running for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as the deadly fumes can be produced by furnaces, stoves, and heaters, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Carbon monoxide can also be created when people use portable generators or run cars in their garages to stay warm or charge their phones.
Dr. Alex Harding, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, people won’t necessarily be aware of it.
“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be really insidious. They can sneak up on patients and can range from just developing a headache or maybe a little bit of nausea to all the way to losing consciousness and seizures,” he said.
Dealing with hypothermia
Cold weather can be dangerous or deadly due to unsafe exposure to the elements.
The cold temperatures could catch people off guard in parts of the country that earlier might have largely experienced a mild winter.
“Really cold temperatures and winds can make temperatures feel a lot colder, and the result of that could be cold air that could eventually lead to frostbite at a much faster rate or hypothermia at a much faster rate than normal,” said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
Prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures can put people at risk of hypothermia, a condition that happens when one’s body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
“Hypothermia is definitely one of the bigger concerns, especially if we do have any kind of certainty in like power grids or electricity failing,” Harding said.
The danger of hypothermia is greater for someone outside, exposed to wind gusts, and not wearing appropriate clothing, or for someone whose clothing gets wet.
“If they have a safe place that’s warm, where they can hunker down, where they have water and food and all those kinds of necessities … then that’s going to limit their exposure to those risks,” Harding said.
But vulnerable populations like people with disabilities or homeless individuals can have problems finding a warm and safe place to stay.
Warming centers throughout the Houston area
Below is a list of warming centers throughout the Houston area, including unincorporated parts of Harris County.
Harris County Precinct Four
Bayland Community Center, open 24 hours starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday
6400 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77074
City of Houston
Officials said these shelters open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, but the exact operating hours may vary by location.
Acres Homes MSC
6719 West Montgomery Road, 77091
Denver Harbor MSC
6402 Market Street, 77007
Fifth Ward MSC
4014 Market Street, 77077
Fonde CC
110 Sabine Street, 77007
Kashmere MSC
4802 Lockwood Drive, 77026
Magnolia MSC
7037 Capitol Street, 77011
Metropolitan MSC
1475 West Gray Street, 77019
Moody MSC
3725 Fulton Street, 77009
Northeast MSC
9720 Spaulding Street, 77016
Southwest MSC
6400 High Star Drive, 77074
Sunnyside MSC
4410 Reed Road, 77051
Third Ward MSC
3611 Ennis Street, 77004
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.
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