The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a cold weather alert Tuesday for the Antelope Valley and mountain areas and urged residents to take precautions against the dipping temperatures.
The alert will be in effect in the Antelope Valley through Friday, and through Wednesday in mountain areas, where wind chill temperatures are expected to be below freezing.
“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during such cold snaps,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, the county’s interim health officer.
“Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside,” he said. “There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbecues or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Seniors and other people in need of a place to keep warm can visit a winter shelter. A list of locations is available online through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority website at https://www.lahsa.org/winter-shelter, or by calling the winter shelter hotline at (800) 548-6047.
Health officials urged residents to protect themselves and others from the cold by:
— dressing in layers of warm clothing;
— wearing a hat, scarves, gloves and socks to protect extremities;
— offering help to neighbors without adequate heat;
— checking on senior citizens or others who are ill; and
— bringing pets inside overnight.
–City News Service