Gridlock Guy: Recent winter jams a reminder of the need for emergency kits

This column is being written on the 11-year anniversary of Snowmageddon in Atlanta. The biggest punchline of the 2014 calamity was people either taking hours to drive home or being stuck for hours – or even days – as stuck vehicles blocked roads and allowed snow and ice to accumulate. Some were fortunate enough to abandon their cars and walk to Point B, but many were stranded.

Recently, drivers on I-75 south of Metro Atlanta found themselves in a similar scenario when bitter cold and ample snow met on January 21st. Unlike the snow the area received less than two weeks before that, this bout arrived in the afternoon and to colder temps. Certain swaths, particularly on the right side of the diagonal I-85 line through the metro, became undrivable.

The dilemma on I-75/northbound in Monroe County was one for the ages. A series of wrecks involving tractor trailers shut down the interstate from Tuesday night until midday Wednesday - nearly 15 hours. Drivers were stuck helplessly. The slick conditions, the mounting ice and snow, just added to the clearance time. Then people caught in the backup got stuck as the accumulation built up around them, adding to the clearance time.

Literally, this was a snowball effect.

This prompted AJC reader Ruth to email me to ask what people should do in a debacle like this.

First - and Snowmageddon taught Georgians this - everyone should have emergency supplies in their vehicles. What one includes in this bundle can vary, but there should be non-perishable basics like food and water.

I personally love keeping peanut butter crackers and bottled water within an arm’s reach, even when not in an emergency.

Another vital supply would be prescription medication. Pack at least a couple of days’ worth and replenish it after use.

People should pack hygiene items: deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, and feminine products.

The biggest cringe I would get from a long road stay would be how to deal with going to the bathroom. This is an easier lot for us men, but the situation is touch and go for all involved. Pack toilet paper and hand sanitizer, if there is no open bathroom within walking distance.

For those with babies or little children, be sure to have diapers and changes of clothes.

On that note, people should have at least one blanket per passenger for their kits. Remember, the people on I-75 spent the night with temps in the teens. Hand warmers would be a good throw in, too.

And while cars normally have outlets for phone chargers, drivers need to save batteries and gas during these long stops. Buy some charger bricks and, if traveling in a questionable weather event, double check that they are charged and have the compatible cords.

In all cases, check quarterly to make sure items are not expired and are still functioning.

Outside of the actual kits, people who plan to navigate in extreme conditions should also be dressed for the weather, lest they get stuck. How cold would that night on I-75 have been in a t-shirt and sandals?

But we cannot leave the subject without again asking why so many, especially in central Georgia and south Metro Atlanta, were out driving to begin with. Some people treated this winter event as just a normal day. Thankfully, schools and some places of employment did not.

Knowing what we know about winter weather and southern roads, making discretionary trips on them is not worth the risk.

DeKalb and Gwinnett each were saddled with hundreds of calls for crashes and stranded cars in the ice. Cars got stuck on inclines in South Fulton and in Clayton County.

And then there was the horrendous I-75/northbound closure.

Some had to go to work or deliver goods. But the roads would have been in better shape if more people had heeded the warnings.

For those who had to get out in the mess, they would have been better off with fresh and full emergency kits.

These kits are not just helpful in winter. Crashes can shut freeways for hours; that is far more common in Atlanta than snow. Thunderstorm debris and floods can block a road just the same.

Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years and written “Gridlock Guy” since 2017. Doug also co-hosts the “Five to Go Podcast,” a weekly deep dive on stories in motorsports. Contact him at fireballturnbull@gmail.com.