Students For Extreme Weather Preparedness

The DSU acknowledged the lack of resources and knowledge available to students regarding extreme weather. With extreme weather conditions climbing in BC, we’ve seen the largest and most costly natural disaster in Canada during our 2021 “heat dome” and atmospheric river. The climate shift has caused the need for people to be equipped with the knowledge and resources to stay prepared in BC’s extreme weather months.

Students that experience housing insecurity, are of low income, newly immigrated or international students, are disabled, or are of gender and/or racial minorities are at high risk of experiencing extreme cold weather challenges. The DSU has compiled resources and materials to insure you are prepared for the cold winter months to come.

The DSU would like to thank the City of New Westminster for the Youth Climate Action Fund, allowing the DSU to produce this microclimate action initiative for students.

Identifying the Risks

Power Outages and Major Storms

Power outages can occur due to major storms and extreme weather conditions. If your home’s power outage is not limited to your home and cannot be fixed by accessing your circuit breaker panel or fuse box, access BC Hydro’s website to receive updates on when it will be restored or how to report a power outage.  

Safety Tips!  

• During a power outage, keep your food safe by keeping your fridge and freezer doors closed! 

• Food in your fridge is usually safe to consume if the power is out for less than four hours. 

• In a power outage, food in your freezer can stay frozen, usually for 24 to 48 hours. 

• Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven; this increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

• To reduce the risk of fire, use LED candles. If you do use real candles, make sure they’re in proper candle holders, keep them out of reach of kids and pets, and never leave them unattended. 

• People with disabilities and/or people requiring assistance may be impacted by a power outage. Elevators may not be in service. 

• Alternative ways to leave home should be planned out.  

• Ensure you have backup power supplies for essential medical equipment. 

Cold injuries 

The most common risks of extreme weather exposure are injuries from falling, frostbite, and hypothermia. To prevent any physical injuries from slippage or falling, avoid long walks, and try to salt and remove snow from your driveway.  

Frostbite is an injury that occurs when the skin and underlying tissue freeze. Symptoms can include numbness, pain, blisters, swelling, and colour discolouration. This can look differently on a variety of different skin tones. Pale/light-skinned people can experience colour discolouration that can look red and purple. People of colour can experience colour discolouration that can look lighter than its original tone. 

There are stages of frostbite to look out for:  

• Frost Nip
  – Symptoms: cold, sore, and painful.
• Superficial Frostbite 
  – Symptoms: skin feelings of pins and needles, and there are patches of peeling skin. 
• Deep frostbite
  – Symptoms: numbness, and skin can become hard and can darken.

What to do if experiencing frost nip? 

• Do not massage or rub the affected area. 

• Warm the area gradually. Use body heat or warm water. 

• Avoid using direct heat, which can burn the skin. 

• Once the area is warm, do not re-expose it to the cold. 

What to do if experiencing frostbite? 

• Seek medical attention at an emergency room or urgent care centre. If necessary, call 911! 

• Follow previous safety steps. 

Hypothermia occurs when the body’s core temperature drops below 37°C. Symptoms include shivering, confusion, and loss of muscular control, such as difficulty walking. Hypothermia can progress to a life-threatening condition when shivering in the body stops or when the person loses consciousness. Cardiac arrest may also occur if left untreated.   

What to do if someone is experiencing hypothermia? 

• Seek medical attention at an emergency room or urgent care centre. If necessary, call 911! 

• Lay the person down on the ground and avoid rough handling. 

• Seek shelter indoors. 

• Gently remove any wet clothing. 

• Gradually and slowly warm the person’s body using heat sources at your disposal. 

How to Stay Prepared

Preparing your own Emergency Preparedness Kit: 

• Non-perishable foods/ready-to-eat food. 
• Water 
• Cash 
• A first-aid kit 
• Portable radio 
• Seasonable clothing 
• Personal toiletries  
• If it applies to your household, you can also include baby items, pet food, medical prescriptions, etc. 

Preparing your pets 

• Add pets to your emergency plan. 
• Protect your pet’s paws on walks by putting boots on their paws. 
• Protect your pet’s paws on walks by messaging their paw pads with petroleum jelly or paw creams to protect from the salt on sidewalks. 
• If you have a pet, you can use alternatives to salt to de-ice your sidewalk and driveway. Such as sand, kitty litter, vinegar, coffee grinds, and pet-safe ice melt.  
• Know your pet’s limits being outdoors. If you are feeling cold, your pet is most likely feeling cold as well. 
• If you think your pet requires additional heating at home, you can provide them with a pet heating pad. 
• Watch for signs of hypothermia in your pet: whining, shivering, anxious, or moving slower than usual, or seems weak. 
• If you suspect your pet is experiencing hypothermia, consult an animal hospital immediately.
   

Prepare yourself 

• Protect your body’s extremities, such as ears, fingers, toes, and nose, as they are at risk of frostbite. Bundle up with accessories such as hats or earmuffs, gloves, thick socks, and scarves.  
• Make sure to layer up!  
• It’s good to start with a base layer of winter clothing to keep yourself dry. It’s recommended to wear thermal clothing or a long-sleeve shirt. 
• Then wear a middle layer of winter clothing. This can include sweaters, hoodies, flannels, or other similar clothing items.  
• Lastly, wear an outer layer of rain gear to protect yourself from rain, snow, and wind. A good winter jacket is most common.  
• To protect your feet from rain and snow, wear waterproof winter boots! 

Preparing your home:

• Use a shovel and salt to remove snow and ice from your sidewalk and driveway to prevent injury from slips and falls.  
• Learn how to prevent your pipes from freezing. 
• Speak to your household members about what you would all do during a winter weather-related emergency. 
• Create an Emergency Preparedness Kit. 
• Make sure your furnace is working efficiently.

Insulating your home 

• Make sure your windows are sealed. Consider applying silicone caulk that’s labelled as ‘removable’ to spots along the windows where the old caulk has gone. This is a great option for renters because it’s not permanent. Alternatively, you can apply a window insulation kit or weatherstripping, found in most handwear stores. 
• You can also apply weatherstripping to your external doors to prevent air leaks. 
• Install door sweeps to the bottom of exterior doors to block drafts. 

Green ways to prepare your home: 

• Heat your rooms strategically to prevent wasting energy by closing all unused rooms and spaces.  

• Make sure no vents are blocked off by furniture for proper airflow.  

• Keep yourself warm with layers. Wear warm socks and slippers, and keep your floors insulated by adding rugs if needed. Use blankets in common spaces to stay cozy. 

• Sustain a steady temperature during the day and turn your thermostat down a few degrees while you sleep. This helps conserve energy at night and prevents your furnace from working overtime.  

• If it’s sunny in the daytime, open the curtains to your windows where sunlight is coming. Allow the sun to warm up the space and close your curtains when the sun goes down.
   

Preparing your vehicle: 

• Carry blankets in your car for warmth. 
• Carry rock salt in your car to melt ice and improve traction. 
• Carry an Emergency Preparedness Kit in your car. 
• Carry brushes and scrapers to remove ice and snow from your car windows and roof for safety. 
• Carry a small shovel in your car for snow removal. 
• Equip your car with winter tires to prevent accidents on the road.

Workers’ Rights

What is Unsafe Work? 

At work, if you ever encounter unsafe work conditions and your employer is informed and has not taken the necessary precautions to keep their employees safe, you can submit a report to WorkSafe BC. Unsafe conditions can be any hazard, condition, or activity that can pose a serious threat to the health or life of a person. During the winter, it can look like being exposed to extreme cold weather without protective clothing. You should report any workplace hazard or injury caused by extreme weather immediately to your employer and WorkSafe BC. 

Other ways workers can be affected:

• Exposure to natural or artificially cooled environments. 

• Exposure to wind — pulling heat away from the body. 

• Using wet clothing from sweat or water for long periods of time. 

• Cold water immersion cools the body faster than cold air. 

How to Report Unsafe Work 

• Report unsafe work anonymously by calling WorkSafe BC’s prevention emergency line at 604-276-3301 in the Lower Mainland OR toll-free at 1-888-621-7233. 

• To report unsafe work online, follow the link to this online form; it is monitored during normal business hours. Click Here  

• If you have a question about workplace safety, you can contact WorkSafe BC Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 4:30pm. Call 604-276-3301. 

Pro Tip! As an employee, you are legally allowed to refuse work if you reasonably believe that your work is a hazard to your health and safety. Clearly inform your supervisor or employer that you are refusing work and that the work is unsafe.

Stay Safe during Extreme Weather!