Winter Disasters Necessary preparations for the cold Explanation of cold weather goods and effective ways to keep warm (Weather Forecaster Megumi Kawai February 5, 2024) – Japan Weather Association tenki.jp
Winter disasters Necessary preparations for the cold Explanation of cold weather goods and effective ways to keep warm
February 05, 2024 11:00
When a disaster occurs in winter, there are risks unique to winter, such as hypothermia, so it is important to prepare for the cold. We will explain cold weather protection products and effective ways to keep warm while living in an evacuation center.
Thinking about the importance of measures against the cold
Hypothermia is a disaster risk unique to winter.
In Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered major damage in the 2020 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the average temperature in January is around 6°C for the highest, and around -1°C for the lowest, with sub-zero temperatures being recorded into February. There will be more days. In addition, even in central Tokyo, the minimum temperature can drop below freezing, mainly from January to February, and there are about seven months when the minimum temperature is in the single digits. When you think about preparation, you can understand how important it is to take measures against the cold.
How to wear clothing effectively
When moving to an evacuation center in the event of a disaster, it is important to dress in layers.
Wear as much clothing as possible and try to expose as little skin as possible. Wearing gloves and socks over your clothes can prevent body heat from escaping. If you don’t have a neck warmer or scarf, use a towel instead to keep your neck from getting cold. At this time, it is a good idea to wear the scarf by putting it inside your clothes.
These days, there are many functional winter clothes that can be folded and stored compactly, so you can feel safe putting them in your emergency backpack.
Additionally, when spending time in evacuation centers, it is important to take measures to avoid contact with cold floors as much as possible, such as by laying out layers of cardboard or blankets. Huddle together as a family.
Use of newspapers and emergency sheets
Newspaper, which has a thermal effect, can be used as a way to keep yourself warm with things you have around you.
By layering several sheets of newspaper and taping the seams, you can wear it like a jacket or use it as a shawl.
If you have a large plastic bag, just fill it with crumpled newspaper and use it as a throw blanket.
Furthermore, you can use newspaper to create a layer of air to relieve the cold, so you can wrap it around your stomach to prevent it from getting cold, or wrap newspaper between two layers of socks. You can prevent your feet from getting cold.
In addition, emergency sheets are not only useful for protection from the cold, but are also waterproof and windproof, so they can be used in any season and are inexpensive, so it’s a good idea to have enough for your family.
Use of disposable body warmers and hot water bottles
It is also effective to keep a disposable warmer in your disaster prevention backpack.
A large blood vessel called the carotid artery runs through the neck, so wrapping a scarf or towel around the neck and applying a warmer to the back of the neck or above the coccyx can be effective. It can warm your entire body.
When using a warmer, be careful of low-temperature burns, apply it over clothing rather than directly to your skin, and remove it when you go to sleep.
Disposable body warmers have an expiration date, so we recommend that you use the ones that are close to the expiration date in your daily life and buy more as you use them.
You can also use it as a hot water bottle by filling a sturdy plastic bottle with lukewarm water (a 1:1 mixture of water and boiled water) and wrapping it in a towel. There are large blood vessels running through your armpits, so you can warm up your body by placing a hot water bottle between them.
Including periods of severe cold, there is a long period of the year when people need to be careful about the cold. You never know when a disaster will occur. Preparing for the cold is very important, so now that you can feel the cold of winter, please take a moment to review whether your home is adequately prepared for the cold.
*This article is a joint project between tenki.jp and Yahoo! News.
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2024-02-05 02:00:31
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