COLD, SNOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE

Safety tips for walking on ice are few, if any.

The best offered: "Don't!"

Snow and sleet conditions have subsided briefly in the Southeast Missouri area, but streets and sidewalks are still hazardous.

People going outside are greeted by thin sheets of ice, and slips and falls have given people hip and leg injuries and bruises.

Hospital emergency rooms have been busy since the year's first winter storm started across the area about noon on Day One of 1998. By mid-afternoon Friday and early Saturday snow and sleet covered most roads.

"We started off busy Saturday and we're still busy," said a spokesperson at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau late Saturday. "We're seeing a lot of fractures resulting from falls."

St. Francis Medical Center also received five patients from an auto accident, which occurred between Cape Girardeau and Scott City, with three of those seriously injured.

Details of the accident were not immediately available from the Scott City Police Department, which handled the accident.

Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau also received a few patients suffering from weather accidents -- falls, spills, and a sledding accident.

"We have had a few cases of slips and falls, but not that many," said the nurse manager at Missouri Delta Medical Center at Sikeston.

Late Saturday, snow flurries were again falling at Cape Girardeau. A number of traffic accidents were reported in the city Saturday. About half were one-vehicle, either striking parked cars or telephone poles.

Road reports issued by Missouri and Illinois transportation "hot line," and sheriff's departments throughout the area, say that road conditions were still dangerous.

Secondary roads and city streets were still mostly snow or ice covered late Saturday, and interstates were described as "slush-covered with patches of ice."

As much as eight inches of snow fell in St. Louis Friday and Saturday. Hit hardest by the snowstorm in Missouri were Columbia, Mexico, Hannibal, and Shelbina, snow ranged from 10 to 14 inches.

Early-morning rains helped erase a lot of the snow and ice in the immediate Cape Girardeau area, but road conditions deteriorated again late in the day.

Despite the hazardous conditions, only one fatal traffic accident was reported in Missouri Saturday by the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Morris McLean, 72, of Puxico, was killed Saturday at 11:45 a.m. after he lost control of his car on a Stoddard County road in Southeast Missouri.

McLean's car ran off the roadway and into a water-filled drainage ditch. Officials say it was unknown if he died from injuries suffered in the crash or from drowning.

Four traffic deaths, two blamed on the weather, were reported Friday.

Most retail stores were open Saturday, and are expected to remain open today.

Some retailers, who traditionally schedule New Year's weekend sales, saw fewer shoppers Friday and Saturday because of the wintry weather.

Some closed early, and some expect to extend post-holiday sales.

David Bortner at Famous Barr said a surprising number of shoppers braved the icy streets to go shopping Saturday.

"We had quite a few people in Saturday. Traffic is fairly reasonable considering the weather," he said.

But traffic was decidedly down from a typical Saturday, said Donna Miller at JCPenney.

New Year's also brings annual furniture sales. "We will be analyzing things and there is a possibility of putting the sale on a couple more days," said David Hutson of Hutson's Furniture. "There are people who can't get out yet."

Law enforcement agencies throughout the region are still urging people not to venture out unless it is necessary and then to use caution.

A wind chill advisory was out for most of Missouri late Saturday night and early today. The forecast calls for continued cold with flurries and/or sleet.

COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS

Some general tips for winter safety:

-- Be careful when stepping out the house with warm shoes on, as the warmth may cause walking surfaces to become slicker.

-- Bundle up in loose fitting, layered clothing, and wear a hat. Cover ears, nose and hands.

-- Watch for frostbite and other symptoms of cold-weather exposure.

-- Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise, like shoveling large amounts of snow. Avoid over-exertion.

-- Avoid alcohol, as it gives you a false sense of warmth when you're actually losing body heat more quickly.

-- Wear brightly colored, but not white, clothing when you're walking during snowy conditions.

-- Make sure you have a flashlight, blankets, extra clothing and high-energy foods in your car before long trips. Write down phone numbers you could call for help and keep them in your car.

-- Keep your car's gas tank full, to avoid forming ice in the tank.

-- Also keep salt, sand or cat litter in the truck, along with jumper cables, and some loose change (for pay phones).

-- Make sure small children don't wander out of unlocked doors into cold weather.

-- Make sure children's hands, feet and heads are covered, but don't bundle them up too soon as they make break a sweat inside the house.

-- Set reasonable time limits on outdoor play.

-- Avoid taking infants outside when it is colder than 40 degrees.