Take these steps to protect yourself from winter weather dangers

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A jogger trots on a snow-covered road during a winter storm, Jan. 15, 2024, in Grand Prairie, Texas. Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe. These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable. Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these hazards and keep themselves safe. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, file)

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A person crosses a street during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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A pedestrian braves the cold as he walks to Pennzoil Place in downtown Houston on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe. These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable. Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these hazards and keep themselves safe. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP, file)

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Workers clear the runway as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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A pair of Wheaton College students stop to chat on the Norton, Mass. campus, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 as heavy snow falls. Several inches of snow is forecasted for the southeastern section of Massachusetts. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP)

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People clear a sidewalk during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Kenneth Henderson carries a case of donated water back to his home, which was without running water after the recent winter storm, Feb. 26, 2021, in Houston. Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe. These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable. Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these hazards and keep themselves safe. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, file)

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A person tries to stay warm as they make their way up a street in New Bedford, Mass., as heavy snow falls across the region on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.

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FILE - Edgar Tristan, with Jorgensen, a contractor for the Texas Department of Transportation, signals a brine tank is full at Mueschke Road and SH 99 Grand Parkway, Jan. 15, 2024, in Cypress, Texas. Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe. These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable. Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these hazards and keep themselves safe. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP, file)

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Workers clear the runway near JetBlue planes as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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A person drives a scooter during a winter snow storm in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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An employee of One Wall Street Apartments in Attleboro, Mass. shovels snow from the sidewalk next to the complex Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 as heavy snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Several inches of snow is forecasted for the southeastern section of Massachusetts. (Mark Stockwell /The Sun Chronicle via AP)

By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe.

These dangers can include carbon monoxide poisoning, hypothermia and frozen pipes that can burst and make homes unlivable.

Public safety officials and experts say there are multiple ways people can prepare themselves to avoid these winter weather hazards and keep themselves safe.

STAYING SAFE INSIDE YOUR HOME

Officials say that during a winter storm, people should stay indoors. But home heating systems running for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as the deadly fumes can be produced by furnaces, stoves and heaters, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carbon monoxide can also be created when people use portable generators or run cars in their garages to stay warm or charge their phones.

Dr. Alex Harding, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, people won’t necessarily be aware of it.

“The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can be really insidious. They can sneak up on patients and can range from just developing a headache or maybe a little bit of nausea to all the way to losing consciousness and seizures,” he said.

As Texas saw temperatures dip below freezing in January, Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña warned residents not to operate generators inside their homes or even in their garages.

“We all don’t want you to sacrifice safety for warmth,” Peña said.

DEALING WITH HYPOTHERMIA

Prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures can put people at risk to hypothermia, a condition that happens when one’s body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

“Hypothermia is definitely one of the bigger concerns, especially if we do have any kind of certainty in like power grids or electricity failing,” Harding said.

The danger of hypothermia is greater for someone who is outside, exposed to wind gusts and isn’t wearing appropriate clothing or has clothing that gets wet.

“If they have a safe place that’s warm, where they can hunker down, where they have water and food and all those kind of necessities … then that’s going to limit their exposure to those risks,” Harding said.

But vulnerable populations like people with disabilities or homeless individuals can have problems finding a warm and safe place to stay.

In Houston, officials have worked in recent years to improve their services for disabled individuals and homeless people during winter weather and other situations, like natural disasters, said Julian Ochoa, who is the Houston Office of Emergency Management’s emergency preparedness manager for vulnerable populations.

PROTECTING YOUR HOME’S PIPES

Frozen pipes in a home during severe winter weather is a particular problem in parts of the South because such equipment is often located outside structures. But other parts of the country also have to deal with this problem.

Jose Parra, a master plumber with Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical in Houston, advises people to insulate any pipes that are exposed to the outside, turn off and drain sprinkler systems and let faucets inside a home drip during freezing temperatures so water can run through the pipes and protect them.

“A lot of what we’re fixing, I would say 80% to 90%, could have been prevented with just a little bit of work ahead of time,” Parra said.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, formerly Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70