# 5130
This second week of December has brought an icy blast deep into the southland, with sub-freezing temperatures (and even snow flurries) all the way down to the Gulf coast.
This morning’s wind chill map gives you some idea of just how cold it is across the country. In some places, even in the south, roads are slick and icy.
Aside from having your car winterized to cope with these extreme temperatures, you should also make sure your auto is equipped with cold weather emergency supplies, in addition to the emergency kit you should be carrying all year round.
The CDC recommends you equip your automobile with the following items to deal with cold weather emergencies.
Car and Emergency Checklist
Prepare your car with emergency supplies.
Cell phone; portable charger and extra batteries Shovel Windshield scraper Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries) Flashlight (and extra batteries) Water Snack food Extra hats, coats, mittens Blankets Chains or rope Tire chains Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair) Road salt and sand Booster cables Emergency flares Bright colored flag; help signs First aid kit Tool kit Road maps Compass Waterproof matches and a can (to melt snow for water) Paper towels
You’ll find more information on dealing with extreme winter weather in the CDC’s pdf file called:
You don’t have to live in the frozen tundra to risk hypothermia, or other cold weather hazards.
Which is why – even though I don’t need the snow chains - every fall I add an extra Jacket, hat, gloves, and blanket to the extended emergency kit in my car . . . even down here in `sunny’ Florida.
Preparing is easy. Worrying is hard.
For more information on emergency preparedness you can click this link, to see some of my preparedness articles, or you can visit the following websites.
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm
READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/
AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/
