Winter weather, severe weather, ... be prepared!

The SD Office of Emergency Managment and the National Weather Service put together an informational winter weather & safety preparedness guide  as well as a severe weather guide which includes information on severe weather that occurs in South Dakota, items needed for emergency supply kits, and ways to prepare your facility for natural disasters. More Docs

When traveling this winter season:
• Listen to the forecast before departing and postpone travel if inclement weather is occurring or expected.
• Avoid traveling alone. Inform others of your timetable and planned routes.
• Keep your gas tank near full.
• Adjust your speed to the condition and increase following distances.
• Carry a Winter Survival Kit in your vehicle at all times!

The fun part - putting together a car kit. There is no shortage of lists telling you what you need to have in your car. Let's see what everyone suggests to include.

• Shovel
• Flashlight with extra batteries, spotlight, flares
• Whistle
• First Aid Kit (make sure it has adhesive bandages, first aid tape and gauze), medications
• Non-perishable, high protein, energy, calorie foods such as granola bars, nuts, dried fruit, energy bars, also canned fruit and a portable can opener are good additions. MREs, candy (suck on a hard candy to keep your mouth moist), raisins
• Candles and matches (in a waterproof container)
• Empty coffee can to be used to burn the candles or to melt snow for water
• Extra clothing, hats (keep those ears covered), gloves, coats, boots,..
• Sleeping bags or blankets
• Jumper Cables
• Tire Chains
• Battery-operated radio with batteries (or get a little excercise & keep warm with a hand crack radio)
  A NOAA weather radio would be really great!
• Cell phone with fully charged batteries
• Windshield scraper/brush
  De-icer
• Brightly colored cloth to tie on the antenna so the vehicle can be easily located
  Flares or reflective triangle
• Sand, salt, cat litter (non-clumping kind), or even carpet strips, chains
• Booster cables
• Tow rope
• Mulitpurpose tool, pocket knife, scissors,
• Cord/string
• Tool kit, screwdrivers, adjustable crescent wrench, pliers,
• Fully inflated spare tie, wheel wrench, jack, air compressor
• Exterior windshield cleaner & extra oil, coolant, fan belts, spark plugs
• Water - bottles of water in the car, but not in the trunk as they will freeze
  
• Emergency tire sealant, Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair)
  
• Emergency or camp stove
  
• Stainless steel camp cup, tea bags, some Swiss Miss  :)
  
• Paper towels, newspapers (insulation), plastic bags or jar (uh, sanitation)
  
• Maps, compass
  
• Cards, Games, Puzzles, Books, pencil, paper, safety pins
  
• Duct tape
  

Wow. The lists you can find go on and on . . . and some ideas are rather interesting.