Tuesday may have been the first time this Fall that many on the Kenai Peninsula had to pull out the car window scraper, as temperatures dipped to the freezing mark. That experience likely served as a chilly reminder: winter is coming.
Residents of the Kenai may feel prepared to handle the harsh conditions, but there are some questions that must be asked of every Alaskan entering winter:
- ‘Am I ready to handle the quickly-changing road conditions?’
- ‘What should I keep in my car to be prepared, in a worst-case weather scenario?’
As roads begin to become more slick, the Alaska Department of Transportation told KSRM that side roads and less-traveled fairways are usually the slickest, but highways can often be slippery, too. Driving carefully is imperative.
Megan Peters with the Alaska State Troopers said when the weather is bad, a simple situation can escalate quickly, so it is best to be prepared: “You should always have emergency provision in your vehicle, food, water, extra winter gear, I mean in the winter time when the temperatures plummet getting stuck on the side of the road is a potential life or death situation.”
Included in a basic winter survival kit should be a flashlight, batteries, blanket, snacks, water, gloves, boots, and a first-aid kit. It is also important to gear all vehicles up with winter travel gear such as tire chains, ice scraper or snow brush, jumper cables, and road flares.
