PSA Carry water and packaged food in your vehicle

Yes, and a couple of blankets. We keep one of those silver "reflection" things in our vehicles, plus I keep a regular blanket. They both fit into a small storage bin, along with water and snacks. 

I always do when traveling. But just popping back and forth to the Rock, no. I'm a 5 minute commute from my house. It's just not anything I think of.

How many stuck were commuters compared to long haul travelers? I'm ashamed to say I have only paid attention to this because sailor boy is in BHam and headed back to Norfolk tomorrow. On a motorcycle. Did this storm just whip up. Obviously I know it happened but the whys/hows I haven't really listened to.

In 2008 ish, DH was stuck in a similar situation, but within the beltway. It was more icy than snowy and all the overpasses iced over. Cars were sliding down ramps and bridges and it stopped traffic. Luckily that one was resolved quicker and IIRC, DH was home by 10-11pm. But he had been on the road since 2pm or so with only a granola bar. He had slugged home, so was in a strangers car and that made it really awkward.

ahhhh, this makes sense. So it wasn't an all of a sudden dump of snow. Which I know isn't possible but that how my mind wraps around the how.

I'm in the south. Land of tornados and ice storms. Even with a tornado there is a bit of an inkling it's going to happen. One flake of snow here sends people the store for milk and bread. And as much as I complain about my boss, the first sign of really bad weather, he's more likely to send us home than keep us there.

That’s a great idea. I’ll do it!

We saw this during the hot summers when traveling as well---people having no water in their vehicles. We saw it it two different capacities---one was stuck on the highway on a blazing hot day and people who did have water were walking up and down the highway selling it at exorbitant prices to those who did not.

And also, two different time when people were looking for water to douse small engine fires.

I posted this yesterday on the other thread.

I gave/sent a Big One throw to my Flordia dgs (not used to snow) stationed in Kentucky with instructions to keep it IN the car within reach when traveling. I also reminded him to have extra snacks etc too. You just never know what can happen and/or where you will need things on hand. Another suggestion is to have a sealed waterproofed package of matches.

I do like the suggestion by dewryce about having a shovel too.
I do have a shovel in my truck. I cover my front seats with rotating throws, so have more in my car.

No-one is starving to death until about the one month mark...and most people will be just fine without food for the first 10 days or so.
But if you are going to stock up on food in the car, then don't make it dry salty crackers that will just make you need to drink more water.

I usually have 3-4 bottles of “emergency water” in my car at all times. Snacks are a little harder to keep in there because my kid keeps eating them, LOL. I have a blanket and travel pillow in my car but I really should keep them inside one of those plastic zipper bags that bedding comes in from the store. They always seem to end up on the floor and then they get dirty and full of dog hair, ugh.

An extra Kohls throw resides in the back of my car. It is a perfect use of one and at $8, not a big expense. I also keep a couple of beach towels - you never know when you’ll need a big towel and you can use it for warmth. Along with bagged snacks and water. The first aid kit is under the front passenger seat.

While there was some warning of the snow - we actually only got it a few days before it hit, so some people may have already had travel plans. The initial forecast was for a few inches, but then the amounts predicted went up the day before. It was in the 60s on Saturday & Sunday - so I think a lot of people simply didn’t believe that snow was truly coming. Our weather reporters are notorious for over-predicting snow events (and no snow comes) - but, this is the reason why: when they DO occur, and people are unprepared, bad things can happen. Like being stuck in your car for over a day.

I will admit to being very surprised to looking out the window at 5 am and it was snowing. The evening before I walked my dogs in just a polar fleece sweatshirt. Dh didn’t even bother to flip up his wipers. We haven’t had snow yet this winter - in fact, our past 3 winters have been very mild with little snow. I didn’t have plans to drive anywhere, schools were called closed earlier, so it wasn’t a big deal for me. But many people commute on I-95 regularly and it ended up being a nightmare for those stuck out on the highway due to the storm.

I married a Boy Scout so we are always prepared.  Water, food, blankets, signaling devices, waterproof stuff.  He says food is the least important because you can go for a long time without food, water is more important, shelter is important.

Yes, I will. ❤️ I flipped mine up last night because of the possibility of freezing rain this morning. I’ll leave them up if I don’t leave the house today - no work since the schools are closed.

Our local Giant looked like locusts had gone through when I was there yesterday- no bagged lettuce and literally only 2 cartons of eggs left and those had broken eggs in them. It was eery - worse emptying of the shelves that I’ve seen in 18 years here. I think that the storm + COVID made things worse than normal. I also wonder if some of the trucks with stock were stuck on I-95. Trader Joe’s was fully stocked, however, so I picked up what I needed and couldn’t find at Giant. 

My husband laughs at me because my idea of being prepared for an emergency basically means I have something to read and some chocolate.
I live in the PNW and if a snow storm hit for the most part I would already be at home and or someplace safe, perks of being a teacher. If we get a flake or predictions of ice schools shut down. The likelihood of me being stuck somewhere are slim to none and if it was it certainly wouldn’t be long enough for me to need extra food.
That being said, I do have a blanket in my car, I always have my water with me, I have an assortment of coats in my car because it is impossible to know what kind of weather we will be having for recess and, so all the coats pretty much stay in my car, and I always have my kindle in my purse.

My husband in the other hand keeps his vehicle ready for the zombie apocalypse. MREs, water, matches, camp stove, special storm radio thing, etc.

When DH was stuck in the ice storm for 10+ hours, he was in the heart of city life in northern Virginia, just across from the Pentagon. They knew that the main Highway was closed and they tried to take Hwy 1 south, then tried branching off of that when it was jammed. While DH/the slug car eventually pulled into a parking lot to use the restroom and wait it out, others where stuck on the highway. I know that there was at least one woman who gave birth on 295. 

So while we don’t keep blankets and boots in the car, since then we have always had foil emergency blankets, cereal bars, and extra water in the cars.