By Rosalind Boyer-Cole • For the Wausau Daily Herald • January 12, 2010

You can get into a survival situation if your car slips off an icy road. What will you do for shelter from the cold?

Jack Frost is traveling through Wisconsin! As January and February arrive, this may mean colder temperatures, more snowstorms, and ice. Winter

weather can catch people unprepared. Research indicates that 70 percent of fatalities related to snow and ice occur in automobiles and 25 percent of all winter related fatalities are situations in which people are caught off guard during a storm.

This is the time of year when preparing a winter survival kit is essential. Having extra supplies can be most helpful during a power outage or when weather conditions would make driving to obtain supplies too hazardous.

Useful items would include enough water and food to last for three days per person. If you have children or infants, take special precautions and keep extra baby supplies, formula, bottles and other items such as diapers and toiletries stocked at home. Keeping extra medications, first aid kits and related supplies will decrease the chance that an item will be out before you have the opportunity to make a trip to the local store.

Other helpful supplies to keep on hand include batteries, flashlights, emergency radios, multi-purpose tools, cell phones with chargers, extra cash and copies of important personal documents.

In the case of a power outage, never use a stove, oven, charcoal or gas grills, or other gas, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices in your home or in any enclosed space. Using these items in your home leaves you vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire. Your fireplace, wood or coal can be useful as a heating source. However, it is important that fuel-burning and heat equipment as well as chimneys have yearly inspections and cleanings and be well vented and clear to the outside.

Do not be caught off guard in the cold. Wear warm and loose layers of clothing to avoid frostbite. Keeping your feet dry and using warm and insulated boots will assist in decreasing your risk to cold exposure.

At times traveling by car is unavoidable. Disaster kits may be obtained or created to keep inside your trunk or vehicle. Kits should include a cell phone and contact numbers, battery-powered radio and flashlight, a multi-purpose tool, a first aid kit, a warm blanket, food, water, a signaling device, a change of clothing, kitty litter and a shovel. Winterizing your car and keeping your gas tank full will prevent the fuel line from freezing and minimize the potential for problems.

If you are able, offer to assist the elderly, those living alone, disabled people or people with children during extreme weather conditions.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters, supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood, teaches lifesaving skills, provides international humanitarian aid and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization. It is not a government agency and depends on the generosity of volunteers and the American public to perform missions. For more information, visit www.redcross.org or contact the Marathon County Red Cross Chapter.

Rosalind Boyer-Cole is a disaster volunteer for the Marathon County Chapter of the Red Cross.

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