Suddenly Awakened To A Nighttime Emergency During The Cold Winter Season

How is your preparedness for this:

The season is winter. While asleep at night in bed, you are suddenly awakened – and the circumstance requires that you quickly take action. The ‘action’ might be a quick evacuation or to get outside (for whatever reason).

Given the season (cold outside), hypothermia may rapidly debilitate you (or worse) just minutes after getting outside.

Amidst the disorientation and adrenaline rush, how long will it take you during an emergency to dress appropriately so you don’t get hypothermia after several minutes outside?

 
When seconds count, you can give yourself a better chance by keeping clothes at the ready. Here’s what I do…

At night, I simply drape over the foot-board of the bed – the clothes that I was wearing that day. This way I can quickly get dressed in seconds if I had to, even in the dark. I always know where they are, because I always do this. Also, I always keep shoes at the foot of the bed.

This may sound ridiculously simple, but I’m not so sure how prepared everyone is for a nighttime emergency evac during the winter. Try stepping outside on a cold winter night with just your PJ’s (or whatever you wear or don’t wear at night)… Depending on temperature and conditions, and your ability to quickly seek warm shelter, you could be facing hypothermia or even death very quickly.

If you keep your clothes at the ready in the same place each night, you will be able to quickly dress in the dark if you have to. When you’re under sudden extreme pressure and stress, it is sometimes difficult to think clearly or to move rapidly, so by developing an instinctive response, you will be better able to take appropriate action (quickly).

So while this post is short, I hope the message is sound. Take a minute to plan how you would quickly dress (for the cold) after suddenly being awakened at night requiring that you get outside.