PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) – Pittsburgh area officials are prepping for a 1-2 punch from winter. More snow was expected Tuesday followed by the coldest temperatures of the season. Actually, the coldest in a couple dozen seasons.
Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones says exposure is the greatest threat to anyone in temperatures near or below zero. Allegheny General Hospital emergency room physician Dr. Ben Lawner agrees. “Something as simple as gloves, mittens, multiple layers of socks, these things can actually prevent or lengthen the time between exposure and the onset of any of these things like frostbite,” said Lawner.
He says homeless people are at risk, “and at the extremes of age, so infants as well as out older populations.”
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich had advise for motorists who have car trouble. He says stay in your vehicle, turn on the flashers, and call 9-1-1. Two people died in a crash following car trouble on the Parkway East Saturday.
Police have been told to advise homeless people about shelters where there is space to sleep. Animal Control will not allow animals to stay outside. Chief Jones reminds residents not to run space heaters near anything that can catch fire. And never use a stove or other kitchen appliances to heat a house.