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Winter Survival
What To Do If You Get Caught In A Severe Winter Storm
Or Blizzard
Winter driving can be treacherous.
If you become stuck or stranded in a severe winter storm or a blizzard,
your life could be in danger. Arctic temperatures along with blinding
blowing snow can be disorienting to walk for help in, and you could
get severe frostbite or even freeze to death should you become lost.
Carry a winter survival kit
in your car and follow these tips to help survive the storm until
help arrives:
- Don't panic
- Turn on flashers to warn
other vehicles
- Stay in your car, unless
you know for sure you are near help. If you stay with your car
you won't get lost and you'll have shelter until help arrives.
You run the risk of severe frostbite or being struck by another
vehicle walking in cold, windy and snowy conditions where visibility
is greatly reduced.
- Warn others and police
by tying a red rag or towel on your car's antenna or by setting
out a warning light or flares.
- Call for help if you have
a mobil phone or CB.
- Keep watch for traffic
or searchers.
- Keep warm - put on extra
clothes and cover yourself with a blanket. Make sure they are
dry. If you don't have extra clothes or a blanket, make do with
what you can find in your car. Make body insulators from newspapers,
rags, floormats, or use the mat that covers your trunk floor as
a makeshift blanket. Tuck around you to keep warm. Cover your
head - you can lose up to 60% of your body heat through your head.
- Eat snacks and drink fluids
to maintain energy.
- Exercise your limbs, hands
and feet vigorously if they become excessively cold or numb. Keep
moving and don't fall asleep.
- You can run the engine
to keep warm but be careful. Run the engine only as long as you
must. Conserve fuel, in case help doesn't arrive for some time.
When you run the engine, give it a little gas and run at a fast
idle. This will cause your engine to use slightly less fuel, keep
the battery charged and produce more heat. Don't worry about making
the cabin toasty warm, just warm up until you are not uncomfortable,
then turn engine off. Repeat when you become uncomfortable again.
If you become drowsy, shut off engine immediately and open windows.
Carbon monoxide may have entered the passenger compartment. Never
fall asleep!
 Snow
can trap deadly exhaust gasses such as Carbon monoxide under
your vehicle and flood the passenger compartment. Sadly, each
year, many people die this way. Carbon monoxide is odorless
and colorless and can kill you. You can't smell it and you can't
see it. If you run your engine, open a window that is away from
the wind for ventilation. Clear away snow around the tailpipe
and on the sides of your vehicle so wind can blow beneath it.
Note the direction of the wind. If it is blowing exhaust gasses
from the tailpipe towards the passenger area, don't run the
engine unless you absolutely have to. Even then, run engine
intermittently. Also don't run your vehicle if you know you
have exhaust leaks or a bad exhaust system. Instead, use a candle
to get warm. |
Misc. Info:
- Winter Storm Watches and
Warnings - A winter storm watch indicates that severe winter
weather may affect your area. A winter storm warning indicates
that severe winter weather conditions are definitely on the way.
A blizzard warning means that large amounts of falling or blowing
snow and sustained winds of at least 35 miles per hour are expected
for several hours creating visibility problems.
- Candle use - never put
a candle on the dash or near a cold windshield. The pinpointed
heat may cause the glass to shatter into a thousand pieces!
- Frostbite - Frostbite
is a severe reaction to cold exposure that can permanently damage
a victim's limbs and body. A loss of feeling and a white or pale
appearance in fingers, toes, or nose and ear lobes are symptoms
of frostbite. Hypothermia is a condition brought on when the body
temperature drops to less than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Symptoms
of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, slow speech,
memory lapses, frequent stumbling, drowsiness, and exhaustion.
- Never give a frostbite
or hypothermia victim something with caffeine in it (like coffee
or tea) or alcohol. Caffeine is a stimulant and can cause the
heart to beat faster and hasten the effects the cold has on the
body. Alcohol is a depressant. It can slow the heart and also
hasten the ill effects of cold body temperatures
- When rescued, don't attempt
to free your car from ditch in blinding snow or slippery conditions,
especially at night. You risk being struck by another vehicle.
Wait until the next day when visibility is better to safely extract
it.
For more driving
tips, see 'Related Topics' on side bar above
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