In 2005, I left work around 4 after realizing that the snow/ice coming down here in Raleigh was making a bit of a mess. I drove slowly down some side streets and decided to avoid the highway as rumor had it, traffic was getting crazy.
I almost wrecked after a major spin-out. Scared to death, I called my husband, who was in FLORIDA of all places. He calmed me down and I kept on.
The side roads were heinous and there were hills that were impossible to drive up, so to the the highway I went.
Gridlock. I got home around 2 a.m.
It was horrific. Just like Atlanta right now. Cars were abandoned. Cell phone towers overwhelmed. No one knew what to do. I was fortunate to have 1/2 a bottle of water, part of a protein bar and a full tank of gas. I relied on the radio stations for news and updates. I was grateful I never had to use the bathroom.
Now that I have kids that wouldn’t cut it. I need to make sure the car has an emergency kit and this is what I’m putting in it:
– Bottled Water
– 2 Blankets
– Pack of Granola Bars, Energy Bars or GoGoSqueez
– Flashlight
– Windshield Scraper
– First Aid Kit
– Cell phone charger
– Portable potty (for the little one)
– Wipes and paper towels
If you can, put most of this stuff in your center console, just in case you can’t get to the trunk.
There are likely many other things that would prove useful in an emergency, but these are the basics. If we were caught in Atlanta yesterday, we would have had extra jackets and that’s it.
I know people make fun of us in the South for our reactions to winter weather, but ice is no joke, and there’s no amount of practice for driving in it.
What do you keep in your car in case of emergencies?
I think we Northerners forget that in Driver’s Ed, we are handed a list of “winter essentials” to have handy at all times from October through April. Blankets, water, scrapers, yes. But also a small folding shovel, extra windshield fluid, a bag of sand and a small piece of plywood. Seriously: sand and wood. Not that I ever actually had any of those things in my car… but I do remember reading the list and laughing at the image of myself trying to rig a piece of wood under my tire for traction!