The Los Angeles County public health officer issued a cold weather alert in response to the National Weather Service’s forecast for low temperatures and wind chill temperatures expected to be below 32 degrees in the Santa Clarita Valley, Lancaster and Los Angeles County mountains.
“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather,” said Public Health Officer Muntu Davis in a prepared statement. “Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside.”
According to Davis, there are places for people 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,” he added.
Public Health encourages county residents to take precautions to protect yourself from the cold, including dressing in layers if you plan to be outdoors, protecting the head, hands and feet by wearing a hat, scarf, gloves and socks, checking on family, friends and neighbors with limited mobility and limited access to heat, and to bring pets indoors overnight.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has a winter shelter program available for those who need shelter. Locations and transportation information are online at www.lahsa.org, or by calling the L.A. County information line at 2-1-1 from any landline or cell phone.
