Environmental Health Center

California Flood Recovery Scripts

This is an Environminute Disaster Advisory from the National Safety Council and the Governors Office of Emergency Services.

When you lose power in a storm or spend a long time outside in the cold and rain, you could be at risk for frostbite or hypothermia. The symptoms of frostbite are numbness and a loss of color in the toes, fingers, nose, or ear lobes. Hypothermia occurs when the body's temperature drops to dangerously low levels. If you suspect frostbite or hypothermia, call for medical help immediately. A victim should be gently warmed, put in dry clothes and wrapped in a blanket. Do not rub the hands, arms, or legs--that could drive cold blood to the heart and cause heart failure. And don't warm up with coffee, tea, or alcohol, which stimulate the heart and could actually have a fatal effect.

This Environminute Disaster Advisory was brought to you by the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation.

For information on floods and indoor air issues, visit our Flood Waters Fact Sheet.

For more information on the Flood Recovery Radio PSAs, e-mail hochc@nsc.org.