With frigid temperatures expected to persist in the coming days, local professionals offered their insights into keeping human and non-human family, friends and neighbors safe from the cold and dangerous attempts to stay warm.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, warming centers are available in Jefferson City at the following locations:
Clarke Senior Center, 1310 Linden Drive, 573-634-8020, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. The center's Lynn Farrow said if seniors also need something to eat, they can have a meal at the center or get one to take home.
Salvation Army Jefferson City, 927 Jefferson St., 573-635-1975. The Center of Hope homeless shelter at this location provides 40 beds for men, women and families with children, and another eight cold cots per sex when the temperature is below freezing. Requirements to stay at the shelter: an individual has to meet the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's criteria for homelessness, have a third party confirm he or she is homeless, have a record free of violent felonies and active warrants, and be drug-free while staying at the facility. More information is available at www.usc.salvationarmy.org/usc/www_usc_columbia.nsf.
Missouri River Regional Library, 214 Adams St., 573-634-2464, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Food and drink are prohibited in and not offered by the library. The library has other regulations. More information is available at www.mrrl.org/about-us/.
The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City's administrative assistant Kaitlin Mallow said the club is closed over Jefferson City Public Schools' winter break, but coats and other winter weather gear was prepared for children before break, or earlier if needed. The club will be open again Wednesday.
"It would be nice if neighbors would check on neighbors," Farrow said of advice for taking care of seniors in cold weather. She noted a pile of mail stacking up can be a sign something could be wrong.
"The main things would be just to help with salting or snow removal," Clarke Senior Center Administrator Nathan Baysinger said. Baysinger added those offers of aid are "always nice because some of that stuff can be kind of laborious."
He noted to make sure people are dressed warmly. He also advised if a senior citizen has lost power or heat in cold weather, a landlord is legally required to take care of any issues and should be contacted after hours or on weekends. Salvation Army and the state's DHSS could also provide resources or tips, he said.
Jefferson City Fire Department Division Chief Jason Turner said if there's an apparent power issue when it's cold, the electric company should be contacted immediately.
Hypothermia and frostbite are very real concerns in frigid weather conditions. Death can occur if a person's body temperature drops below 86 degrees, according to the DHSS. Also, medical attention should be sought immediately for any person whose temperature has dropped below 95 degrees, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of hypothermia include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred-speech and drowsiness. Redness or pain in skin may the first sign of frostbite, or a white or grayish-yellow skin area, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, or numb. The CDC has other information on preventing, spotting and treating these cold weather health risks at www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/hypothermia-frostbite_508.pdf.
DHSS also has information at www.health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hypothermia/illnesses.php and www.health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hypothermia/index.php.
Cold weather poses exposure concerns for firefighters, too, even though that might seem counter-intuitive for a profession that confronts flames and smoke.
"We just encourage safety, make sure they dress as much as they can in layers," Turner said. He explained, though, the fit of firefighters' protective gear does make it difficult to dress in layers, but extra help can be sought and firefighters can be rotated in and out of a scene.
He also noted the fire department often gets calls for frozen and burst pipes, when people don't know who else to call. He said JCFD had responded to one such call Wednesday morning, and vacant properties are of a particular concern.
"Property owners ought to check on those types of empty facilities," he said, adding people should make sure the water is shut off in such buildings or the building has been properly weatherized.
The University of Missouri Extension office posted a news release this month about how to prevent and address frozen pipes, available at extension2.missouri.edu/news/Frozen-pipes-create-big-problems-during-cold-weather-3249.
Keeping a house or apartment warm has its own set of risks if it's not done in safe ways. The latest report from the U.S. Fire Administration shows behind cooking, heating is the second leading cause of residential fires, and residential fires were responsible for 75 percent of all reported fire deaths in 2015.
Turner advised space heaters should have trip switches to automatically turn off the device if it's dropped or falls over, and space heaters should also be Underwriter Laboratory-approved.
He said the labels for these features should be near the model and serial number area, and should be visible even if the original packaging is gone.
The National Fire Protection Association advises Christmas trees should be disposed of now that the holday's over or when the trees are dry.
"Dried-out trees are a fire danger and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside against the home," according to an informational handout from the association. The information also notes a heat source too close to a tree causes 25 percent of all Christmas tree-related fires.
See our article, Jefferson City Parks Department: Recycle Christmas trees, for related details.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is another cold-weather health concern as people sometimes turn to using generators, grills and stoves indoors to stay warm. More information on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning is availabe at www.jeffersoncitymo.gov/government/fire_media_releases.php.
People should also look after the health of their pets in cold weather. Alice Groner of Jefferson City's Woodland Animal Hospital simply advised owners to "bring them inside."
Groner, a veterinarian, recommended any dog that weighs less than 50 pounds should be kept inside in temperatures like the local area has been experiencing, especially if wind chill temperatures drop.
She said taking pets for a walk is fine, so long as the animals are physically exerting themselves, but sitting outside and getting wet is a problem.
She said animals definitely need to be out of the wind, in some kind of structure, and should have a warm bed of dry straw or a blanket. "Make sure that (a pet's) water doesn't freeze over," she added.
While she trusts people "are going to do the best by their animal," she also said if a pet absolutely can't be brought inside, there are plenty of shelter spaces available for temporary care, and most veterinarians in Jefferson City have board room. "There's always options."