Hypothermia: A Cold Killer

Winter weather can bring on more than just chills. It can also cause its share of emergencies, one being hypothermia.
Hypothermia is the dangerous lowering of the human body’s temperature, and it’s the number one killer of outdoor enthusiasts.
In this episode of Storm Stories, a weekend boating trip for two friends in southeastern Alaska turns deadly. The two men are forced to abandon their vessel in sub-zero temperatures. The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan vessel are their last hope. But despite their best efforts, not everyone can be saved.

Surprisingly, hypothermia can happen even during relatively mild weather. In fact, most cases of hypothermia develop when the thermometer reads between 30 and 50 degrees. And often hypothermia is more an urban phenomenon than one of the wilderness.
Indigent senior citizens who live in poorly heated homes may experience hypothermia at air temperatures of 60 degrees. Very young children are equally susceptible to dangerous chilling. This is one reason why some schools get two-hour delays on extremely frigid mornings. And reports of homeless alcoholics dying in drunken stupors are all too common. In such cases, hypothermia can be the hidden killer.

But guess what? Immersion in water is the quickest route to hypothermia. A person in icy water might last 10 to 15 minutes before passing out and drowning. But even 50-degree water is unbearably cold, and prolonged immersion in sub-70 degree water will eventually take its toll. So boaters and fishermen…take warning.

Here in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry…hypothermia is rare. Just ask Dr. Brian Kornblatt of St. Joseph’s Candler.
“We see a lot of people with heat illnesses because we’re a very warm weather climate,” Kornblatt says. “It would be a very unusual event in Savannah to see a really hypothermic patient.”

But with cold winter water temperatures, it CAN happen.
“If you fall overboard and you’re immersed in near freezing water, you’ve probably got a max of 15 minutes,” Kornblatt says. “In 45-50 degree water, you’ve probably got a couple of hours.”

And during these couple of hours, there are several things you can do to increase your chance of survival.

First, if you can, get on top of the boat or wreckage. It’s better to be out of the water than in it.
Next, if you have to be in the water, get into a sort of fetal position. You want your arms close to your side, legs crossed and legs pulled up.
If you are with a group, you need to huddle together. This keeps colder water out.

Next, try to attract attention by using flares or even mirrors. And be sure to stay near the wreckage.

And finally, don’t try to swim. This will only lead to faster heat loss and exhaustion. Even a good swimmer can only swim a little more than half a mile in calm water. So one will likely cramp and then die.
“One of the things that happens as your body temperature becomes very cool, your mental function begins to decrease,” Kornblatt says. “Eventually, you will literally fall asleep or unconscious and die.”