An Arctic blast is heading for Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Friday and Saturday, with a dangerous wind chill as low as thirty degrees below zero. Armand Randolph, Recovery Branch Chief of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, talked with morning host Luis Hernandez about how to cope with the cold.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Click here for a list of warming centers throughout Rhode Island. All statewide shelter facilities have been asked to extend their operating hours during the inclement weather. According to the governor’s office, the state will cover the cost of transportation to the 24/7 warming station at the Cranston Street Armory, including Riptiks and Uber rides for those in outlying areas.
Massachusetts residents should contact the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency or their local municipal government for resources in their area.
Click here for a list of extreme cold safety tips. Rhode Island and Massachusetts residents can also call 2-1-1 for resources on community services.
TRANSCRIPT
Luis Hernandez: What is it that people need to know about staying safe and staying warm when we’re dealing with the kind of temperatures we’re going to be facing?
Armand Randolph: Well, keep in mind, we’ve had a mild winter. So people might be thrown off to say, we have a little bit of cold, it’s not that serious. But this is serious, serious cold weather. Especially including the wind chill. Yes, it might say it’s 24 or 16 degrees. Now, if you add wind to that, now we’re talking minus. So please – and I say this to everyone – keep in mind, this is a serious situation, because frostbite, hypothermia, pets, anything left outside way too long, or even a minute too long, could change your life. So take this precaution and everything we’re pushing out, and prepare yourself. Prepare your family’s loved ones, like I said earlier. I’ll repeat again, pets, the elderly. Yes, this for a 24-hour, 36-hour period. But it can be detrimental if not taken care of in a correct way.
Hernandez: Obviously, during weather like this, homeowners and even renters have to worry about things like their pipes, don’t they?
Randolph: Yes, they do. And one thing we talk about is water pipes. So one tip that people will use sometimes is to turn the water on in one place, [one] location to let it have a slow process go through, so the water is continually moving, so it doesn’t have a chance to freeze. Now some people might put a portable heater where the pipes are at, and depending on where you live, granted, whether it be a rental or a house. Other people have used, to cover their pipes with, some type of insulation, and to the point that some people have used newspaper, because they don’t have anything else. So take this precaution very seriously, because the thing that could happen, you don’t want to happen. So let’s prepare for it and make sure everybody’s safe.
Hernandez: What resources are out there for people who need support or shelter during this time?
Randolph: So in local communities, they might have a warming center set up. And those are run by the local governments. So on our website, if you go to our main website, riema.ri.gov. And right at the top, it will show warming centers. You click on that link and it’ll take you to a list of cities and towns that have warming centers available. Also out there, I know there’s a lot of resources through, or that may be available through United Way 2-1-1 for certain emergencies. Or there might be certain situations in a community where a church or organization might have some information on other things set up. So it’s always helpful to one, reach out to local emergency manager and two, to know about the community resources that might be available through that emergency management, or to this town hall that might have some information.
