The National Weather Service is describing the ice storm tightening a frozen grip on the southeastern part of the US with words like: Catastrophic, crippling and an even of historical proportions.
Unlike blizzards, ice storms present unique problems that require special preparations.
For your safety, we have excerpted an article from ehow.com on ice storm preparation.
Instructions
- 1
Place a winter emergency kit in your car. There are going to be times when a winter ice storm will hit when you are away from the house. Unfortunately, most employers will not let you call out because the weatherman is calling for a winter ice storm. Your winter emergency kit will help you to get home in one piece no matter what you encounter.
- 2
Collect all of your flashlights and candles together and make sure that everything is working correctly before the winter ice storm hits. Winter ice storms have been notorious for knocking out power to millions with the weight of the ice on power lines. Do not be left in the dark during the winter ice storm.
- 3
Keep your pantry stocked with food that you can eat with out having to cook it. If you lose power during a winter ice storm, you want to make sure that you can still eat. You can also make sure you have all the usual food necessities in case you still have power but are stuck in the house for a few days due to the winter ice storm.
Tips & Warnings
- Try to prepare for a winter ice storm as far in advance as you can. This will keep you home and safe as the storm is on the way.
Read more: ehow.com
Here are some safe driving tips if you encounter ice:
Driving safely on icy roads
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
- Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
- Keep your lights and windshield clean.
- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
- Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
- Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
- Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
- Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If your rear wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
- If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
- If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
- If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If your front wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
- As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
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