Red Cross says they're ready if needed
The Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross is ready to open the Vernon County Senior Center if it is needed according to executive director Peggy Tedlock, but so far it has not been needed.
"We'll open it if we need to but we haven't needed to yet," Tedlock said. "We're ready day or night to do it. I keep in touch with Dennis Kimrey and Barbara Long who would know of people needing help and so far there has been nobody needing a place to stay."
Jeanne Baldwin, Vernon County Health Department nurse, said with the cold weather blanketing the area people need to take precautions and watch out for one another.
"People should be checking on their neighbors, especially seniors," Baldwin said. "Seniors are vulnerable because they don't sense the temperature as well. I know people are reluctant to interfere with other people but it's important to be there for one another. You need to be vigilant. People are reluctant to interfere but it's worth a knock on the door."
Getting out and around in this weather can be dangerous and Baldwin suggests several ways to protect yourself.
"You need to layer dress," Baldwin said. "Undershirt, shirt, jacket and coat. You need to be prepared when you travel. Blankets for everyone, hats, gloves, and water. If it freezes you can at least lick it to keep hydrated.
If your vehicle becomes stuck, don't leave it, if you leave you don't know when you might get help and you won't have the vehicle to shelter you. You start to shiver violently and then later you don't notice the cold as much and you just drift off to sleep and never wake up."
Baldwin said people need to take a page from their grandparents generation when it comes to winterizing their home.
"Stock up on food that doesn't need a stove to heat it," Baldwin said. "Pork and beans, tuna, peanut butter and crackers, it's not fancy food but it will keep you going.
"People tend to forget what our grandparents did. Close off part of the house, double up on bedrooms. If you have three bedrooms and can fit into two it saves heat. Dress appropriately, wear warmer clothes indoors."
Baldwin said that it was important to not forget pets' needs.
"Animals need shelter from the cold and water that isn't frozen," Baldwin said. "They depend on us for those things and we need to provide them."