Brrrr! It’s cold outside!
Staying healthy and
safe during the winter
Seasons in the United States
summer
spring
Fall (autumn)
winter
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Winter can be fun, but also risky to
your health
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The most important step to staying
healthy in the winter is to dress warmly!
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ALWAYS WEAR
a warm hat or scarf
a warm winter coat
warm mittens or gloves
pants or leggings
socks
warm boots
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Wearing layers of clothes
The best way to stay
warm and feel
comfortable is to
wear layers of
clothing.
That way, you can
take off one layer if
you get too warm.
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Most of your body heat is lost to the cold
weather through your head, so make sure
you wear a hat or a headscarf.
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Wear mittens or gloves
Fingers can actually freeze (get frostbitten) in
cold winter weather, so make sure they are
covered.
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Keep your legs
and feet warm
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Leggings and long underwear worn under your
dress, skirt, or pants help your legs stay warm
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Wear extra socks if necessary.
– Some socks can be long, others short
– Wool socks are the warmest
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Always wear boots in the snow
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In your home
Your apartment has a heating system. Ask your
landlord how to control the heat in your apartment
so that it is not too cold and not too hot.
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Keep your home comfortable, but
not too hot
Turning up the heat very high in your apartment makes the air very
dry and it is not good for you. Keep the temperature at about
74° (23°C).
If you are cold, put on a sweater.
If you are hot, turn down the heat. Do not take off
your clothes or your children’s clothes.
Always wear something on your feet (sandals or
socks). Buildings in Chicago are old, and
sometimes there are cold drafts (bits of cold air
that come in from the outside).
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Dry skin and mouths
The heating systems in buildings often
make the air very dry. The dry air
makes our skin, mouths, and noses
dry.
Make sure to put on plenty of skin lotion
(men and women) to keep your skin
from getting dry and cracked.
Use lip balm for your lips. (Lip balm is
not lipstick. It is colorless and helps
protect your lips.)
Use petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) for
your feet and hands if they get very
dry.
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Keeping the air moist in your homes
Household heat often makes air dry. You
can help put moisture back in the air by
using a humidifier which you can buy at
a drugstore.
You can also put a pan of water on top of
your radiator. The water in the pan will
evaporate, and then you should pour
more water into the pan.
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Cold Weather emergencies
FROSTBITE
Frostbite occurs when you
ears, nose, fingers, or
toes actually freeze.
Frostbite is serious and
can result in an
amputation of the frozen
parts of your body.
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Avoiding frostbite
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Wear a hat that covers your ears
Wear a scarf over your face
Wear gloves under your mittens
Wear two or three pairs of socks
Put your hands under your arms to
keep them warm
Inside his jacket, the boy has
his hands under his arms.
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Cold weather emergency
Hypothermia: when one’s body
temperature goes below 98.6° F
(37°C). If the body temperature gets
too low, the person can freeze to
death.
To avoid hypothermia:
Dress warm to keep your body
temperature normal.
Drink warm tea, soup, or other liquids.
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Cold weather emergency
Sometimes in the winter
it snows so much that
the power lines fail or
fall down. That means
there is no electricity
for lights or heat for
people’s homes. This
is called a cold
weather emergency.
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Warming Centers
In the event that there is a power outage and you have no heat in
your home, you are encouraged to go to a “warming center” set
up by city officials. Warming centers are public places like
libraries or other community centers where you can stay until the
power and heat is returned to your home.
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If you lose heat in your home
during a snow emergency
If there is a snow emergency and you lose heat in
your home, call your landlord. If the problem
is a power outage in your neighborhood, you
will have to go to a warming center.
Ask someone who speaks English to call 3-1-1 to
find out where the nearest warming center is.
Do not call 9-1-1.
Tell you case manager if you need to go to a
warming center.
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At the warming center
Bring to the warming
center whatever your
family will need for two
days, especially
medicine, diapers, and
things to entertain
children.
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Any questions?
Enjoy winter in Chicago,
but stay warm and stay
safe!
Heartland Health Outreach
Refugee Health Education and Promotion
Winter 2007-08
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