As part of a series of interviews by Cole Payne on how to survive cold winter nights out in the elements, Dustyn, a Reno local says that for those who don’t want to go to the Cares Campus, or don’t feel welcome there, or have been 86ed, a piece of cardboard, a little canister and hand sanitizer to light it up can save their lives.
“One of the keys in surviving the cold winters out here for homeless people, a big factor is cardboard.
Having that piece of cardboard between you and the freezing cold concrete 'cause people have died out here from this cold concrete, from sleeping on the cold concrete and then dying from being frozen to death, where a simple cardboard will save your life 'cause that's all you need is that cardboard between you and the cold concrete, you know, 'cause the cardboard will help you keep your body heat, you know, right there.
That right there is a big factor on how people are able to survive the cold winters out here.
The concrete is much colder than people realize.
And of course, hand sanitizer is a big thing because you're able to light hand sanitizer, it’s very flammable, people will light that, you know?
Here's a technique that we use, you know, so when you have a little canister or you know something that you're able to light right, just a little bit, you use your sleeping bag or your blanket and you put it over yourself, like you're caving yourself, right?
And you have that little canister in between your legs right here. And when you light it, heat rises, it warms up you entirely, like, everything that your blanket is covering, you know, and it will,
I'm telling you that right there helps a lot of people survive out here because you just light that little bit and it'll warm your whole body and everything. And next thing you know, you'll be so comfortably warm and everything, you're able to finally go to sleep. And that technique is a big one that a lot of people use out here when it gets really freezing cold.”
Our Town Reno Interview published in December 2023
