Is it pride? Fear? Who knows? But one of the biggest mistakes some people make in emergency weather situations: They hesitate to call for help.
For some reason, many people like to try to stick it out, even when they start to suffer because of it. They delay in deciding whether they should ask, wasting precious time in not calling for help soon enough.
The rationale from some people for not calling for help is that they don’t want to cause a fuss. Others want to appear independent and tough.
- For example, in the 2021 record-low severe cold weather snap in Texas, many people were left without power in very low temperatures.
As the temperatures fell inside their homes, many people whose cars could handle the frozen roads wisely threw in the towel and made their way to heating centers, which were large building that still had electricity where families could keep warm.
Others were staying with neighbors or friends who had electricity and were also calling each other frequently to check in on one another.
However, some who remained isolated during this extreme weather event had to be hospitalized for hypothermia, with temperatures in their houses gradually lowering.
Had these people contacted emergency services, friends, and family, or attempted to move to a warming center, that could have been prevented.
In a severe weather event, ask for help…
If there’s a heat wave warning coming through and your house doesn’t have air conditioning, try to see if someone you know has a pool or an air- conditioned house you can hang out.
• Extreme hot weather isn’t a death sentence for those inside; but it can become wildly uncomfortable. For those with small children, the situation can start to become dangerous if they begin to suffer from heat exhaustion.
These circumstances can also apply to severe weather such as storms, especially those that are capable of developing tornados.
Tornados are certainly nothing to toy around with. So, if you don’t have a good shelter in your house, you might want to consider waiting the storm out at an acquaintance’s home that does have one.
There’s nothing you can do to stop a tornado from damaging your home, whether you’re there or not, so you might as well avoid injury at the same time by going somewhere safe.
Even if you can’t go stay with someone at their house, that person may be able to give you some much needed supplies, such as a box fan for a heat wave or a space heater for a cold snap.
There’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help. Don’t hesitate to rely on the generosity of others a little bit, especially in a dire situation. If you’re in desperate need, call for help.
You may find it helpful and reassuring to educate yourself about off-the-grid living in case it takes days to regain your electricity. Also, make every effort to maintain contact with those closest to you.
