Surviving The Cold

[Music] winter cold wet and deadly every year snowstorms strand hundreds of people in their cars isolate thousands in their homes and kill those who are unprepared in this film you will see and hear true stories about six people caught in severe winter weather and isolated from hell [Music] Ed and Paul mooki were going to their cabin to button it up for the winter when it began to snow the storm hit about halfway up the mountain by the time we got about a mile from our cabin we kept getting stuck every 10 ft we were always out digging which got us wet then the snow got real heavy and you couldn't see 5 ft in front of you it was pretty clear the Bronco wasn't going to make it so we figured we walk to a neighbor's cabin it wasn't real far and we know that area like the back of our hands the funny thing is Everything Changes at night with the blizzard you couldn't tell which way you were going I thought I knew but boy I just couldn't tell for sure Dad leave this back here we don't need it they food in the cabin you know it was funny I'd be thinking real clear for a while and then just didn't know what I was doing or or where I was going I couldn't even remember Paul's name my own boy and I I couldn't remember his name I got worried waiting through that snow dad was really beat he could barely keep up I started thinking about things I'd never thought about [Music] before I fell and dropped our flashlight and didn't pick it up right away like you normally would I knew we were getting Delirious [Music] then then we hit that gate it's nowhere near the cabin we've gone too far let's go back to the Bronco oh we can't go back we wouldn't make it I wouldn't make it we've got to find that cabin where we can't make it now come on we've got to find that cabin from then on I just kept thinking you got to keep going you got to keep pushing I saw saw that cabin and said one long prayer I could hardly believe we finally found it we walked for 2 and 1/2 hours and it was less than a half mile from the Bronco all I could think was we had to get inside we finally got in and then we didn't say anything at all we didn't talk Ed and Paul had become victims of hypothermia a physical condition caused by a person's body losing more heat than it produces the result a dangerously low body temperature when Ed and Paul were outside the conditions were perfect for hypothermia to set in it was cold and they were tired and wet first their bodies tried to generate more heat to combat the cold they began to shiver it was a losing battle the constant exposure to cold wet weather defeated this first line of their body's defense then in order to keep the remaining heat concentrated in the body core the brain heart and lungs their bodies began to cut down blood circulation to their arms and legs this gave their vital organs a fighting chance to continue functioning but it also caused the loss of muscle control in their hands legs and arms as their natural defenses gradually began to break down they became more were confused and disoriented if they had not found the cabin the cold would have defeated all their body's defenses and they would have died in this kind of Emergency the first thing to do is get out of the cold then carefully begin rewarming the body the most important areas to rewarm first are those areas nearest the body core the sides of the chest the neck the groin and the head these are the areas of highest heat loss and highest heat absorption warming these areas first lets the body build back and hold its Heat starting with the body core and gradually spreading to the rest of the body Ed and Paul did not rewarm themselves correctly they began by warming their hands and feet and that could have killed them warming the body's extremities first forces Cold Blood to flow back to the body core the result is usually death Paul went to bed that night shivering uncontrollably because his body had not been rewarmed properly both men needed medical assistance desperately it's a miracle they survived part of the miracle was the cabin they broke into it was owned by a man who believed in being prepared for anything once we got warmed up we found plenty of wood for the fire besides there was a propane tank to heat the cabin too there was plenty of food enough to last us a couple of weeks and you could eat it right out of the can you didn't need a stove to cook it on nothing well they know we're gone yeah they should candle flashlights lanterns all were on hand with plenty of batteries and fuel to keep them working Ed and Paul even found a battery powered radio it was a relief to hear that Rescuers were out looking for them the cabin had a well stocked first aid kit too Ed and Paul were stranded way up in the mountains far from any help but even in a city snow storms can be dangerous especially for the elderly the elderly can fall victim to hypo thermia even at home it's essential for them to maintain warm room temperatures of 68° F or more continued exposure to low room temperatures can easily cause older people to become hypothermic and it is very difficult to detect turn now they usually don't shiver as hypothermia takes hold but their breathing may become shallow and their heartbeat may slow down either of these symptoms during cold weather means medical help is needed immediately the best cure of course for anyone is prevention stay warm all the time eat well and regularly and keep physically fit these factors will help protect you from winter cold did you get back to the clinic this morning like most people Dennis beam and his daughter Kelly weren't worried about the cold the night their car slid into a ditch in the middle of a blizzard I wasn't really too concerned I'd been stuck before and it wasn't all that deep but the wind kept picking up and the storm just didn't let up I was getting wet trying to get the car out but it was no good so I decided to wait about 9:00 that morning we'd been stuck about 4 hours storm wasn't stopping at all and we were really getting cold I figured nothing was going to happen up there on a country road no help period so I decided to go for help you stay warm and you stay in the car no matter what okay okay everything's going to be okay I love you love you too okay now you'll be good right there right there okay I didn't want to be left alone but Dad said he'd be back for me he promised leaving Kelly was like leaving my heart behind and I didn't know when I'd get it back I couldn't see a thing it was freezing my eyes were frozen shut I had ice all over my feet but I had to keep going there was nothing else to do help please this is Kelly be we had a see be rain in the car so I tried to call for help but no one answered I kept wondering where daddy was can you hear me it took me 3 hours to get to a house and it was literally my last ounce of energy my feet were black parts of my face were frozen but that wasn't my main concern Kelly was still in that car and the police said they couldn't get to her until the storm stopped and there was nothing I could do after it got dark I didn't know what had happened I couldn't stop thinking about Dad I had three pieces of candy but I wanted to save them for dad cuz I thought he'd be hungry when he came back after 10 hours I didn't know what to think she'd been alone so long there was a lot of worry time then a lot of thinking time Kell's okay I think I had to leave her in the car sometimes in the car I dreamed that Daddy might not come back about 1: the next morning the storm broke and the police headed off to get Kelly have you heard anything nothing yet all I could think was that after 19 hours who knows she'd been there so long with no heat I kept hoping I'd put enough emphasis on staying in that car until I got back when The Rescuers came I asked if D was okay he said yeah I was glad cuz it was all over and dad was okay it's PR you yes thank God then the call came she was okay my whole world lit up then oh thank God thank you very much yes okay she's okay Kelly suffered only mild symptoms of hypothermia as the snow buried the car it insulated and protected her from the severe cold and high wind Dennis was badly frostbitten because of his walk through the snow which of the two had been in the most danger without a doubt Dennis as soon as he left the car he put himself in tremendous Jeopardy neither father or daughter were well prepared for the extreme weather conditions they encountered a few carefully chosen items would have given them the extra margin of safety they needed one blanket wasn't enough sleeping bags would have been better extra clothing would have been extremely welcome after Dennis got wet matches and candles a flashlight with extra batteries signal flares high calorie non- perishable food a shovel and a sack of sand ashes or even kitty litter and a first aid kit these are examples of items you need winter travel is serious business and you must be prepared for it your car should be in good working order know the route you plan to take and tell somebody else where you're going and when you plan to arrive check the latest weather information before you leave the National Weather Service provides up to the minute weather forecasts and can predict most severe storms if the people in our next story had listened to the weather forecast they would be alive today traveling back to school two students drove directly into a severe winter storm they had a four-wheel drive vehicle and were sure they could get through first They Came Upon a roadblock warning travelers to pull off the highway they went around it several miles further they got stuck in a large snow drift directly under a bridge they tried to dig out but it was hopeless soaking wet they changed clothes stuck in the snow drift isolated ated from help they decided to set it out wait until someone came along and found [Music] them the next morning someone did they were dead they had made two fatal Mistakes One traveling in the face of deteriorating weather conditions and two ignoring a police roadblock ironically it appeared that after they got stuck they did everything right they started the car every so often to keep warm they changed into dry clothing after getting wet trying to dig out and they didn't abandon their car however stuck under the bridge the wind trapped fatal carbon monoxide fumes around and inside the car a freak accident maybe but they really died because they didn't use Common Sense after those first two mistakes every other decision only compounded their danger Ed and Paul mooki Dennis and Kelly beam could have been winter storm fatalities the two students were being prepared for winter emergencies will always better your odds in a snowstorm so we using good judgment and Common Sense these guidelines if you get caught in a severe snowstorm will help you survive the cold [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]