During a severe snowstorm, travel should be curtailed unless it is a real emergency. And even then, consider if emergency vehicles are more equipped to handle your issue than you are. If you are unfamiliar with driving in winter conditions, as a general rule, do not drive. Take winter weather advisories, watches, and warnings (or equivalents) seriously. Having to re-schedule your vacation may be an inconvenience, but getting into a car accident is a much bigger problem. Keep a few useful winter tools. A more detailed list will follow below. Most drivers will not typically have an entire trunk full of emergency items, but in most cold weather climates, drivers should usually keep the following as a precaution: Sand or cat litter: for emergency traction. The weight of sand can also help traction in lighter vehicles although fuel efficiency will be reduced slightly. Cat litter has the added bonus if put in a tied-off sock on the dashboard, of drawing in moisture and preventing condensation on the windshield Wool blanket: In case of getting stuck, this helps with freezing temperatures. It is also handy for impromptu seating in winter events. Extra boots: If you are wearing inappropriate foot gear, your feet could freeze. Putting an old pair of boots in the trunk helps cover this issue. Also, it is handy if you forgot your boots and it snows. Extra gloves, hat, scarf: In case of being stuck in freezing weather, these items are vital. These can be old and mismatched, but they should be warm.
Keep heat inside the vehicle using insulating items such as newspapers or blankets. Keep heat inside your body. Clothing and blankets, for example, do not provide heat or warmth but they’re vital because they preserve or help trap the heat your body generates. Hypothermia, which only requires a 2-3 degree drop in a person’s body temperature, is the chief cause of death from exposure to freezing temperatures. The first effect is an inability to think clearly. Put one wool blanket for each person you anticipate could be in the vehicle in your trunk or in the storage tub, plus two more for other uses. Wool dries quickly if it gets wet and keeps you much warmer than many other materials. You want to also add an extra set of clothing for each person, plus two sets of socks per person. Wool socks are best. Avoid cotton clothing, such as jeans, as these become essentially useless at retaining warmth when wet. Include scarves, hats and water-resistant gloves to help preserve heat in high-loss areas like the head and neck and to keep your hands from becoming wet. Keep a pair of winter boots in the car. In northern rural climates, it is fairly common for people to keep a pair of boots (typically old) in the trunk. In an emergency, bad footwear can be dangerous in the snow, leading to frostbite. Keep hand warmers in the car. While good gloves or mittens are better prevention, these are handy. You can get in the camping and hunting goods sections of big box stores. Get 5-10 newspapers, depending upon your vehicle size, to insulate your vehicle’s windows. This will help trap in the heat your bodies produce, the heat your vehicle produces if and when you turn it on and to serve as a barrier against the wind. [5] X Research source [6] X Research source [7] X Research source [8] X Research source
Yes, you can melt snow to produce water. However, snow is mostly air, and produces surprisingly little water. While a camp stove, burner, or campfire could potentially melt snow to produce water, this is not ideal. Put enough water bottles in the cooler for each person for one day. So, for example, you would put about 20 bottles in the cooler for a family of five. If you have extra room, load up with as many bottles as possible. Since this won’t be enough if you’re stranded for longer than one day, you’ll need to melt snow. To do this, you need the following: a 2- to 3-pound coffee can with its lid, several boxes of waterproof matches, three 2” diameter candles and one or more metal cups. [9] X Research source [10] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source [11] X Research source
Given that the average American eats about 2,300 calories per day, half of which would be stripped away to regulate body temperature while trapped in a vehicle, minimally each person should eat about 3,500 calories per day. That is a quite a bit of food for a family of five over the course of 72 hours. To make it all fit in your cooler, buy dense non-perishable, high-calorie foods, such as granola bars, beef jerky, nuts, trail mix, canned fruits and chocolate. [12] X Research source [13] X Research source [14] X Research source [15] X Research source Scale down according to your needs. Most individuals caught in a blizzard will not be stuck for days. Unless you are going to be in a very remote area, you do not need to prepare many days worth of rations. In reasonably well-settled areas, you can likely expect help to reach you in hours and not days. Therefore, you may want to consider having the equivalent of a solid snack. These are often stowed in the glove compartment of the vehicle in snowy climates. Make sure this item is shelf-stable and not likely to perish anytime soon. This food should likely not be a favorite of yours, as you will likely be tempted to eat it and not replace it when an emergency arises. Do not store water in glove compartment, as if the water bottle breaks it will likely ruin your registration, insurance card, maps, service records, and so on. The trunk is usually better. If you are diabetic, be very sure to have a snack available.
Flares to indicate your location to rescuers. A piece of bright red material about 1-by-4 feet in size. A wind-up or transistor radio with several spare batteries so you can keep tabs on the weather and road conditions. Also, for entertainment, as boredom tends to cause people to do unwise things. Flashlights with very bright bulbs and plenty of batteries to use at night and to use in signaling for help. Jumper cables, which you may need when the storm passes, and your vehicle’s battery has died. A collapsible, preferably metal snow shovel. Tow rope to either a) help get your vehicle unstuck or b) tie one end to the vehicle and the other to a person’s waist if it’s absolutely necessary for someone to leave the vehicle during the storm. A compass. A bag of sand, salt or cat litter to give your tires traction if stuck. A long-handled ice scraper with a brush. A tool kit for any surprises. A pocket knife with a can opener. A wind-up watch to keep track of time. A first-aid kit. An emergency supply of medicine for each person for 72 hours. One pair of tall, waterproof boots for the driver of the vehicle. Tissue paper, paper towels and garbage bags for sanitary purposes. Feminine products and baby formula, diapers and wipes, if necessary. [16] X Research source [17] X Research source
Remember: While you may feel confident driving in blustery weather, plenty of people you’re sharing the road with are less experienced. And, Mother Nature hits even the most seasoned drivers with unexpected surprises. If you plan to drive in potentially hazardous conditions, always let a trusted friend or family member know of your plans and route. [18] X Research source [19] X Research source [20] X Research source
If you don’t have an ice scraper with a brush to remove the snow from your car, use the branch of an evergreen tree or a newspaper (whatever you can find) to sweep it off. If you don’t have a shovel, use what’s available to you, such as a hubcap or a Frisbee in the trunk. [21] X Research source [22] X Research source
If your tires start spinning, let up on the gas immediately because you’ll only dig yourself in deeper by spinning the tires. Have a passenger stand outside the vehicle, hold onto the inside of the driver’s window and help push. Never let anyone stand behind the vehicle and push because the car could slide back and cause serious injury. If you don’t get anywhere with this, look for traction elsewhere. If you have cat litter, salt or sand, spread some around either your front or back tires, depending upon whether you have a front-wheel or rear-wheel drive vehicle. If it’s an all-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicle, spread it by all four tires. If you don’t have these materials, use your car mats, small rocks or pebbles, pine combs, twigs or small branches as traction. [23] X Research source
The one exception: By staying with the car you are in physical danger, such as if it catches on fire or may go into a body of water. A car is pretty good shelter and unless there is obviously better options in short distance, such as a house, barn, or store. Remember that distances become distorted by falling and blowing snow. Additionally, snow covers holes, sharp objects and other hazardous objects, so heading out on foot is a serious risk in the midst of a storm. [24] X Research source [25] X Research source [26] X Research source
If you have enough charge left in your phone, make one short phone call to someone you think is not also stuck and who will advocate on your behalf with authorities to ensure you are rescued, if it comes to that. Make sure you tell them your location. Use your phone’s charge wisely. If you are in your car for days, you may have to turn off your cellphone when you are done to save any remaining battery charge for later emergency use. But turning it off also means you will not get any incoming calls or texts. If you turn on your vehicle periodically, you can also charge your phone as it takes relatively little drain on the battery.
Tie the red piece of fabric to your vehicle’s antenna as a sign to rescuers. If you don’t have an antenna, find a spot high on your vehicle where it can blow in the wind or tie it to the door handle facing the direction from which help is most likely to arrive. If you don’t have a red piece of fabric, find something in your vehicle to use. Responders will recognize this as a sign that you’re in need of assistance. If stranded in a remote area, stomp out “HELP” or “SOS” very largely in the snow to make yourself visible to those searching by air. If you have access to sticks or tree branches, use them to fill in your letters. You may need to do this again when it stops snowing. Honk your horn using Morse code for SOS, but ONLY when your vehicle is running to conserve your battery. Do three short honks, three long honks, three short honks, pause for 10-15 seconds and repeat. Raise the hood of your vehicle after the snow has stopped falling to indicate to rescuers that you need help. Take turns staying awake to be on the lookout for help![28] X Research source [29] X Research source [30] X Research source
If you have a relatively full tank of gas, run the engine every hour for 10 minutes. While you’re doing this, crack one window to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. If you don’t have much gas, only run your engine 1-2 times per day for 10 minutes so your battery doesn’t die and your fuel line doesn’t freeze. Use the sun’s heat to your advantage in this instance and run your engine at night, which will also help warm you. [34] X Research source [35] X Research source
Crumble up and put road maps, paperwork from your glove compartment, newspaper, paper towels or napkins, etc. under your clothes for insulation. Use the wool blankets you stocked up on to warm yourself. Ration your hand warmers, but use them strategically. Put them in your gloves and pockets when needed, but also put them in your socks, under your hat by your ears and so forth. [36] X Research source
If you don’t have a blanket to block unused space, use whatever material is at your disposal. You could cut out the seat cushions, for example, and lodge them in strategic locations to reduce the space in your vehicle. If you don’t have newspaper to insulate the windows, look around you. Do you have magazines, paper towels or napkins, your child’s textbook? You could also use the floor mats. If you don’t have tape, do you have band-aids, gum, nail glue?
Avoid caffeine and alcohol. They both, in their own ways, speed up the bad effects cold weather has on your body even if one or the other may seem to help. Your goal is to regulate your body’s temperature, fluid levels and blood sugar levels as much as possible and to make your supplies last.
Make sure to crack a window while you’re doing this because even small candles and matches can produce carbon monoxide. If you don’t have these supplies, look around you. What’s metal or plastic that can be emptied or pried apart and used to collect and put snow in, such as a plastic bag from the grocery store or even your glove compartment? When you turn your vehicle on, direct the vents toward the snow to melt it. If you’re out of gas, put smaller amounts of snow in your container and set it in the sun or a warmer spot in the car to melt.
If you find something, don’t devour it no matter how hungry you are. Eat only a small amount at a time and chew it slowly. This will make it feel as if you’ve eaten more. If you suspect someone with you has hypothermia and isn’t thinking clearly, take extra precautions if he or she is also hungry. Don’t let them leave the vehicle in search of food.
Talk to others if you’ve been stranded on a highway, for instance. If you still have charge on your cellphone, call a friend or relative to seek assistance and to ask what’s being done to clear the roads and/or find you. [38] X Research source
If you have enough gas left and think you can avoid becoming stuck again, try to dislodge your vehicle. If you choose to stay with your vehicle, make sure it’s obvious to rescuers that you are still with your vehicle.
If you stay, stamp out SOS in the snow again and lay branches in the letters. Use a CD or break off one of the mirrors from your car to sweep the horizon frequently. This will bounce off the sun, and air rescuers will recognize it as a signal. If you can get a fire started now that the snow has stopped, start one and keep it going – particularly at night – for warmth and to signal rescuers. [39] X Research source If you decide to walk, leave a note indicating where you’re headed and, again, stick to the plan. Layer up, bring as many of your supplies with you as possible, make sure you leave in the early morning and take frequent breaks to rest and to drink and eat something. [40] X Research source
