It was so cold …

Hitchhikers were holding up pictures of thumbs!

It was so cold …

Roosters were rushing into Kentucky Fried Chicken and begging to use the pressure cooker!

“It was so cold” jokes aside, the week’s arctic clipper weather is nothing to laugh about.

It’s dangerous.

Exposure to the sub-zero temperatures can result in frost bite.

Icy walkways can be perilous and create painful falls.

Colds, flu and pneumonia are health risks to everyone.

Driving is a challenge on “black” ice covered roadways. Drifting snow and wind-driven whiteouts are also hazards to motorists.

Austin Medical Center has had 37 emergency department visits because of falls in the past week, according to Tami Oldfather, AMC spokesperson.

Seven emergency department visits were because of motor vehicle crashes, but AMC couldn’t say if they were specific to weather-related incidents. There were 42 urgent care visits because of falls within the past one week, AMC reported.

“We’ve only seen one confirmed case of Influenza A here at Austin Medical Center,” Oldfather said. “Influenza activity still remains low in the state. Usually numbers don’t peak until February.”

The question is: Has the frigid weather produced more requests for assistance of any kind?

The answer is: Yes, it has; particularly home heating assistance.

Lori Blanton, case worker at the Salvation Army Austin Corps, said, “We’re seeing more requests for utility help than ever before.”

“We get requests from people needing help in paying their utility bills. That happens every winter it seems, but they’ve never come in as early as they are this winter,” she said.

One such request came to the Salvation Army this week from an 82-year-old man, according to Blanton. “We’re getting the requests from seniors as well as younger people,” she said. “We address them one-at-a-time, first-come, first served.”

Requests for paying utility bills top all categories of requests received by the Salvation Army although emergency food requests continue to task the Salvation Army’s food pantry, too.

Blanton is also worried about how people are dealing with high energy and other costs on a budget.

“We hear from people who will buy a space heater to save on using natural or LP gas,” she said. “They might save on their gas bills or LP purchases, but then their electric bills go up because they’re running space heaters in their homes all the time.”

Semcac provides the largest amount of home energy assistance in the region. This winter, the majority of applications are senior citizens and families with young children.

Semcac’s Susan A. Thompson said applications are increasing.

The Semcac energy assistance program coordinator reported 1,176 applications have been received from Mower County and 921 applications have been paid through Jan. 5.

“Of the 921 approved applications,

502 applications have a household member over the age of 60 and 152 applications have children age 5 or under,” she said.

“The 60 year old stats and the 5 and under stats surprised me,” she said.  “I do year-end stats and they are usually one-third age 60 and older and one-third age 5 and under,” Thompson said.

The energy assistance program coordinator emphasized Semcac wants to help eligible families deal with high heating bills, but frequently a misunderstanding gets in the way of that happening.

“One thing that is confusing to the consumer is the fact that they can apply once during a program year,” the EAP coordinator advised. “The program year is Oct. 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009.”

“Many applicants think once a year is once a calendar year,” she said.

Aaron Stewart, emergency services coordinator for the Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross, said the agency has not seen an increase in requests for assistance of any kind related to the extreme winter weather.

“We deal with disasters’ Stewart said. The chapter has had its share of disasters this winter. Most recently, a house fire sent two adults and an 8-year-old boy from their home last Friday evening. The chapter came to their aid by providing shelter.

Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, director of the United Way of Mower County, Inc., said more requests are coming in daily for heating and other assistance.

The United Way supports 23 local charities each year with generous allocations.

Last October 2008, the United Way disbursed its annual allocation to the Salvation Army earlier than usual to help the Austin Corps meet a demand for assistance that was growing already last Fall.

Annie Avery, Mower County senior advocate, said the agency is not seeing any more requests for help than “normal.”

“We will help seniors fill out their applications for Semcac heating assistance, but that’s about all related to the weather,” Avery said.

Nancy Donahue, an assistant senior advocate, also directs the Mower County Chore Program, which provides free services to seniors.

According to Donahue, more requests for snow and ice removal are being received, during the frigid cold spell.

More requests for transportation services are also coming from seniors this winter.

According to Brent Johnson, transportation supervisor, “This time of the year every year we always see more requests from seniors due to the weather.”

“Either seniors don’t want to drive because of the weather or their cars won’t start or they just don’t want to spend anytime outdoors because of the cold temperatures for any reason,” Johnson said.

The Mower County Seniors, Inc. transportation program has 16 drivers at its disposal, and Johnson said they are able to handle all requests throughout the year.

Sherry Lunt, customer service supervisor for Austin Utilities, says natural gas and electricity consumption are increasing already this winter.

“Already, we’re seeing consumption increase to the level that it was during March a year ago at its worst,” Lunt said.

The increase in consumption offsets the utility’s good news that its purchased gas adjustment is lower than it was at this time a year ago.

When energy consumption increases, people can’t always keep pace with their utility bills.

Lunt advised, “Customers should keep in touch with the utility, when these situations develop,” she said. “Paving something is better than nothing at all.”

Jim Krueger, president and CEO of Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services, said electricity consumption began increasing Dec. 1, 2008 among the cooperative’s clients. “Now, we’re seeing a spike again since the cold spell struck this month,” he said.

When FMCS consumers experience difficulties with their energy bills, Krueger encourages, “They do everything they can to communicate with us.”

For the last three years, FMCS has participated in the Reach Out For Warmth Program offered by Semcac to assist eligible families pay heating bills. They could also be eligible for a $2-for-every-$1 match, according to Krueger.

For more information about Semcac’s energy assistance program, call Thompson at 1-507-864-7515 or visit Semcac’s outreach office in the lower level at U.S. Bank Austin.