Tahoe Donner News - December 2011

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ARE YOU AND YOUR CAR READY FOR WINTER? It’s that time of year again! The snow is sticking, roads can be slick and switching to snow tires or studs is a must. It’s also essential to make sure your car is well-equipped for the winter driving season.

so be prepared! You can usually expect a lot of shoveling and digging in these situations. In addition, we hope you’ll take our advice and have your Winter Survival Kit with you.

Do you have your survival kit prepared?

Winter Survival Kit Suggestions:

You may laugh, but in all seriousness everyone should have a Winter Survival Kit for their car as well as know some simple but helpful tips. A small percentage of Tahoe Donner homeowners live here yearround, but many travel from far way to be with us. If you are one of the latter TD residents, we suggest you always check the winter weather advisory before heading out for your trip. If you are driving up during a storm, be prepared to stop along the way. Typically, travelers only deal with slow traffic and routine chain control checkpoints, but everyone should always be prepared for Interstate 80 to be closed due to weather conditions. Please use caution while driving and remember there aren’t many gas stations heading east once you pass the last Auburn exit. Make sure to fill-up your tank! It would be shame to be that family stranded on the side of the road. Sadly, being stranded can happen. Even the best of us mess up, drive a little too fast and sometimes smash into a snow bank or berm. Once that happens, there’s always the lovely task of figuring out how to get the vehicle back on the road. It isn’t fun and is very time consuming,

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| Tahoe Donner News | December 2011

• Shovel - to dig yourself out • Ice scraper/snow broom - to clear the ice off and snow • Flashlight – to bring light to the darkness • Chains – even if you have four-wheel drive and snow tires, there are times (epic storms) everyone can use these • Gloves – to keep your hands warm while shoveling • Spare warm clothes – will come in handy if you are cold or what you’re wearing becomes wet • Sleeping bag or blanket – for the times you may be stuck at night or it’s a bitter cold day • Bottled water – to stay hydrated while you wait • Snack – you can never know how long you will wait for assistance or the road to open * We also suggest you also have an Emergency Roadside Kit handy for year-round traveling.


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