If Your Power's Out in the Cold, Stay Warm with These Expert Survival Tips

 1. Millions of Americans have found themselves without power in recent days after

dangerous winter storms swept across the country. Many people suffering power outages

are in southern states, where snow and ice storms are the exception and not the norm.

Newsweek spoke with some experts in cold weather and survival to get some tips for

anyone who may find themselves in such a predicament.

2. Insulation is key, both on the body, and in shelter/home, Scott Oeth shared via email.

Oeth is a lifelong outdoorsman and considered a master naturalist who owns the

wilderness guide company Bull Moose Patrol. Much of his training for camping in

extreme cold translates to dealing with freezing temperatures indoors.

3. Keeping your neck and head warm is particularly important, he said, and suggested

improvising a scarf or headwear with a sweater, towel, or even a pair of extra pants. Some

other tips Oeth offered include: "Crumple up newspapers, magazines, paper towels and

stuff inside a large shirt and pants for extra warmth. Cut an 'X' in the middle of large

towels to place head through and wear towel like a vest. Socks can be worn on hands as

mittens. Try to wear loose footwear (circulation), but you can boost warmth by making

cardboard insoles, or insoles [made] from mouse pads, or other foam...Foam from inside

of furniture can be an excellent insulating material."

4.  If you're in a house or multi-room apartment, consider staying put in one room as much

as possible with the door closed and insulated, physiologist Gordon Giesbrecht told

Newsweek. The University of Manitoba professor is so respected in his studies of extreme

environments and the effects it has on the human body that Outside Magazine nicknamed

him "Professor Popsicle" in a 2015 feature story. Like the other experts, he cautioned

against using gas heaters or generators indoors, as well as against turning on gas stoves

or using outdoor grills indoors. The chance of carbon monoxide poisoning is much too

high to risk such methods.

5. Giesbrecht recommended finding relief in motor vehicles if one finds themselves without

power and nowhere else to turn. He said, "If it's below freezing temperatures outside for

a day or two, it likely will be inside your house, too. I would go inside a vehicle then. If

you have it in a garage, make sure your door is open so that you don't get carbon monoxide

poisoning. Just run it for 15 minutes every hour to get it to heat up, and then get the

sleeping bags, quilts, whatever. No insulation is off limits if you're cold enough."

6. Humans aren't designed to hibernate. Leave that to the bears and ground squirrels, Dr.

Andrew Gracey of University of Southern California said in an email. As his message

insinuates, his expertise is with hibernating animals, as well as fish. However, he did offer

some advice for humans. He wrote: "From a physiological perspective, the best thing you

can do is to move your body. Walking, jumping, swinging your arms around, will all cause

your muscles to produce heat and help fend off the cold. I wouldn't recommend really

vigorous exercise that results in you sweating because the subsequent evaporation of the

sweat will have a cooling effect."

7. Kylene and Jonathan Jones spoke with some hands-on experience. They maintain the

website The Provident Prepper, which is designed to help people be better prepared for

emergency situations. Back in 2008, the couple, with four of their children, spent four

days with their power turned off to learn how to be better equipped in the event that they

find themselves in this sort of situation involuntarily.

8. A post of that experience, along with another on tips for preparing for a winter storm,

offers much insight for those unaccustomed to such weather events. Among the various

tips they discussed with Newsweek, Jonathan suggested to "do everything that you can to

make sure your home is energy efficient, so that you can keep them warm in, and the cold

out."

9. To do this, he said make sure the windows and doors aren't letting in a draft, which can

be blocked by fabrics, or even bubble wrap. Kylene also noted that anyone with children

should try their best to not show fear around them, no matter how cold and scared you

may be. "You have to be confident," she said. "Children will reflect the emotion that they

see on your face and in your eyes."

10. There are physical signs in your body to be mindful of, though, said Giesbrecht. Namely,

watch out for frostbite and hypothermia. He said, "The number one thing to watch for

frostbite is your skin is numb." For hypothermia, he said to be aware of "shivering for

extended periods of time, like 15 minutes. If you're in the house and shivering, change

environments to the hospital, shopping mall, or some other large venues that are opening

up in areas affected by outages... So more insulation, more heat, change environment."

11. Staying hydrated is also essential. No matter how cold you may be, it's important to keep

drinking water. Proper hydration improves your immune system and fights off the risk of

infections. Drinking water can also help you stay warmer.

■Vocabulary

1. power outage

2. hibernate

3. frostbite

4. hypothermia

■Understanding

According to the article,

1. What should we do to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning?

2. What should people with children do?

3. What should we watch out not to miss the signs of frostbite and hypothermia?

■Discussion

1. The blackout of Hokkaido happened in September, so we didn't tremble in the cold.

Now, are you well prepared for a major power outage in the winter?

2. Do you think the survival tips in this article are realistic? Are you going to try them

out in a winter storm?

3. People in Sapporo may have no problem with winter storms. By the way, are you ready

for big typhoons or intense heat wave?