A Winter What-If

by Bob Buddemeier

Offering advice on surviving a winter storm a month after the major storm of the season may seem a little like locking the barn after the horse is stolen.  However, the approach has the advantage of raising the subject while the experience is still fresh in people’s memories, which may improve the chances of attention, or even action.

The February storm dropped over a foot of snow, and resulted in RVM appeals for cottage residents to stay in place and not venture out.  It also resulted in cancellation of two dinners and replacement with take-out and deliveries.  It could have been worse – snow tapered off on the second day, daytime temperatures were consistently above freezing, and enough RVM employees made it into work so that food could be prepared and road clearing undertaken.

What if?  More snow, colder temperatures, fewer employees at work, and a storm-related power outage.  All possibilities.  We don’t even have to call on the Cascadia earthquake to envision things being pretty bad. The first step in recognizing how bad is to realize that without power most communication is down. An overloaded phone system and word of mouth would be about the only ways to get information about conditions and local plans. Residents, especially those in the cottages, would have to be truly self-reliant — and do so without heat.

Basic advice: pay attention to RVM and the READY Team guidance on emergency equipment and supplies to have on hand.  On MyRVM –> Staff Departments & Services, and then –> Security & Emergency Preparedness.  However, the winter storm prospect creates some emphasis or issues that go beyond the basic lists.

The “don’t go out in the snow and ice” issue: Maybe you need to check on or help a neighbor.  Maybe you don’t have an indoor puppy potty.  Maybe you’re a radio-equipped READY coordinator and a vital link in the face-to-face communication network. Maybe your home is too cold or out of basic supplies and you need to get to the more liveable conditions in a high-rise (and your car is snowed in and the streets uncleared).  It can all be possible if you know the magic word – YAKTRAX.

Yaktrax is the name of a brand of wear-them-on-your-feet traction devices, but like Kleenex and Xerox the brand name has been generalized to refer to the whole class of such items, some of which are at least as good as the named brand. The picture illustrates one of many styles.  What should you get and how do you get some? [Editorial Opinion] (1) Go to the online Amazon catalog, type Yaktrax into the search field and look until you find some that say they are for walking on snow and ice AND have a cumulative user rating greater than 4.5. Prices range from <$20 to the sky’s the limit. Search for “Yaktrax size chart” to relate your shoe/boot size to the S-M-L choices — but adjust your ordinary shoe size to account for the difference in outside dimensions between the shoe and you winter boot. (2) Not an online shopper? Take the boot that you would wear them on, go to REI and tell the salesperson what you want.  And expect to pay a little more.  Remember, concrete or tile surfaces may damage the Yaktrax, which in turn may damage wood or composition flooring.

I also recommend an entrenching tool or similar small sturdy shovel – it’s not a snow shovel, but you can use it to clear a foot-wide footpath, or enough of an area so that puppy can get his butt close to the ground without being totally submerged.  And if you have a snowy driving mishap, it’s a lot better than using your fingernails to get the snow out from around your tires.

Speaking of cars, winter gear belongs both there and in the dwelling.  If your car is in an attached garage, store the gear there, but if you park down the street, it’s best to keep the emergency supplies in the house and move them to the car for trips.

What else what if?  Clothing and bedding that can keep you safely warm, if not comfortable, in sub-freezing weather.  In the cottages, no power means no heat. Don’t forget the peripherals – warm gloves, socks, cap, long johns.  Emergency light sources, food and water for several days, and maybe an emergency radio.  And if you self-evacuate, don’t forget your medicines.

Talk to your neighborhood or floor coordinator for the READY Team — they are there to help with emergency preparation as well as response.  How do you find your coordinator? Glad you asked.  The relatively easy way is to open MyRVM and enter https://files.mwapp.net/files/ff/-coordlookupsept4[155910591].TXT into the address bar (or click the link here). Alternatively, MyRVM –> Staff Departments & Services, and then –> Security & Emergency Preparedness, scroll down a half page and click the left-hand READY icon, then scroll down and click the “coordinator and neighborhood finder” link below the text.  Trust me, it will be worth it.

Beyond that, it’s forethought, caution, and cooperation with other people in the same situation.  There’s no excuse for losing more than one horse.