Henry
Renteria Kimberly Belshé
Director
Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Eric Lamoureux or Greg Renick
January 9,
2007 OES (916) 845-8400
Mike Bowman
Health
Services (916) 440-7660
State Emergency
and Health Officials Urge Preparedness in Response to Extreme Cold Forecasts
SACRAMENTO
– In response to forecasts for unusually cold temperatures throughout much of
California in the coming days, officials with the Governor’s Office of
Emergency Services (OES) and the California Health and Human Services Agency
(HHSA) today urged Californians to prepare themselves, their family members,
and their animals for the possible effects of the inclement weather.
The
National Weather Service has reported to OES that temperatures will drop into
the 20 and 30s Wednesday night into Thursday, followed by daytime temperatures
in the mid 40s in most areas. On Friday and into the weekend,
temperatures will drop further, reaching the high teens to low 20s in most
areas at night, and continued daytime lows in the mid 40s.
“Exposure
to extreme cold can be dangerous to your health,” said Dr. Mark Horton, State
Public Health Officer. “To protect yourself in extremely cold weather
remember to wear several layers of clothing, travel with caution and be alert
for the symptoms of exposure. Monitor family members and those
around you who are at greatest risk from exposure, such as seniors, young
children and people with underlying illnesses or chronic conditions.”
“The
safety of all Californians is our utmost concern,” said OES Director Henry
Renteria. “"The emergency advance planning efforts we engage in with our
state and local partners ensure that any all support that the State can provide
local governments over the coming days is available."
Coordination
with partner State agencies currently includes the California National Guard
and the California Department of Food and Agriculture working with local
government officials to make armories and fair grounds available to supplement
their sheltering needs. Currently, there are 11 California
National Guard armories that have been opened as shelters from the cold in
Gilroy, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Merced, Sylmar, Ventura, Los Angeles (Federal
Ave), Culver City, Santa Ana, Fullerton, and Glendale. They are opened daily from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Horton
and Renteria urged Californians to take action today to reduce their risk of
health-related problems and property damage. They also stressed the importance
of checking on family members and neighbors who are elderly or have special
needs.
Actions
that can be taken to help protect against severe cold and freezing temperatures
include:
1)
Preparing your home and family
2)
Dressing for the Weather
3)
Traveling with caution
4)
Recognizing symptoms of exposure
For
more information on preparing for emergencies, visit the Governor’s Office of
Emergency Services Web site at www.oes.ca.gov. For health-related
information, visit the Department of Health Services Web site at
www.dhs.ca.gov.
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