Blizzard Lessons Learned

[Regionnus Rattis]

Hmmmm....probably carry my wallet, laptop and iPhone to find the nearest bar/hotel and say "honey, I ain't gonna make it home"

Great, but what happens if you leave Valpo and get stuck? Head east an you have a lot of open ground. Ditto if you head south. Even west toward the Westfield Mall has a good deal of open ground and some deep ditches along the roadside where your car can end up, virtually unseen in a modest snow.

Its easy to make comments like you made but unless you simply stay in town and never venture out then you really are not thinking about some very real possibilities.

I drove up and down US41 today in Lake Country and several cars/trucks were off the road between Lowell and Cedar Lake. While they are only about 8 miles apart, and while a 4 mile walk is reasonable in the summer to get to either town if you break down in between them, in a modest snow that 4 miles can take a long time, in a heavy snow/blizzard that 4 miles can = death.

Oh, and in many rural areas the cell phone signal is pretty spotty. Best not rely on that as your savior.

Out here in Valpo is vastly different than it is on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. First of all, those FIP's don't have any sense, let alone survival or outdoor sense. I agree with what you've noted. I was only replying to the picture, which was a photo of cars stuck in downtown Chicago. Buildings and stores are right there. I think I would have been outa town a longgggg time ago.

 

[DHolder]

I carry leather work gloves, jumper cables, tow strap, flashlight, bright orange flag, first aid kit, water, trail mix and a change of clothes, phone charger as a rule. For winter travel, I add the body warmers, a pair of waterproof boots, extra gloves and add insulated coveralls.

If I know Im going to be somewere besides going to work, I may add to this. My motto "be prepared"

 

[1946]

Some of these folks were stuck for 7+ hours. Seriously? Get out and walk a 1/4 mile to a pub.

Have you ever tried to walk out in a blizzard, forty to fifty mph winds in very cold temps.?
I did, once. If you're heading into the storm it will take your breath away, literally. I had to hold a shovel in front of my face to block the wind and snow so I could see and breathe.
From my experience I would be very hesitant just "walk a 1/4 mile to a pub".

 

[jeremy]

These are smaller, much smaller. They are also very light weight. The head of my shovel is about 10" by 10" and the shaft is about 18" long when in the retracted position. Easy to pack but far more useful than the typical military type fold shovels for digging out of snow.

They do make Scoop Shovels in the Same Size, or at least used to anyway...
I was pointing out that Scoop Shovels are generally a cheaper good alternative for an Avalanche Shovel, until one can acquire an Avalanche Shovel...

I should point out these are worthless for digging in dirt! Its a winter only item.

LOL...
Something tells me that is the Voice of Experience right there...

While these (shown below) military shovels are better than nothing, they are pretty crappy for digging in the snow. I much prefer the "right tool" for the job.

I actually prefer the GI E-Tool for a Vehicle Shovel. Might not move as much snow at a time. But it has far more that it can do also...

 

[jedi]

You know what I find funny. I just got this in my email today.

This was Lake Shore Drive during the 1967 Blizzard.

Hum... looks like the never learn?


Here is another 2011 image.