I’m starting to take issue with the way some of the locals are reacting to this snow.  People are pointing fingers left and right as to whose fault this mess really is.  Apparently, PennDOT is the latest target of the public’s rage, with people demanding an apology from their secretary.  Yet I can’t help but notice that despite days of bad weather forecasting, people still insisted in getting in their cars and driving around.  I’m as guilty as anyone else who was on the road, but then again, I managed to not crash or get stuck.

Granted, some people had no choice.  If your child develops a 103-degree fever, you take him or her to the ER (on the other hand, if your child developed said fever a few days ago and you’re just now getting around to a trip to the hospital, you’re a dumbass who deserves to get stuck).  It would seem to me that, medical emergencies aside, anyone who has any gripes about being stranded on the roadways has only themselves to blame.  You knew the storm was coming; why did you go?  And living in the northeastern United States means that you keep a winter kit in your trunk.  Mine:

• Heavy parka
• Wool socks
• Spare gloves
• A blanket (a silver emergency blanket underneath a Thinsulate blanket will work wonders)
• A few bags of non-perishible food such as trail mix, Chex mix, or beef jerky
• 3-6 1-liter PLASTIC bottles of water (they won’t leak even if they freeze)
• A dozen air-charged pocket warmers ($2 / 6 at your local camping store)
• Flashlight
• Books
• Pen / paper (for leaving a note in case you have to abandon your vehicle, though that’s generally not a wise idea)
• Complete change of clothes
• Hand spade (5″ of snow can quickly become 5′ of drift)
• Camper’s first aid kit
• Something orange and big

Aside from the parka (which is so ridiculously overstuffed that I could never hope to wear it in public, even if I wanted to), this all fits into one of those closet Rubbermaid sealable box things.  I don’t know the volume, but mine’s about 3′ x 2′.  In a worst-case scenario, I know I could handle being stranded for 3-5 days before things start to get desperate.