Trapped on the Highway
Preparing for emergencies we don't consider
A few days ago in West Virginia, on I-77, a landslide stopped traffic and left people stranded for miles. And for hours. At least eight hours overnight.
There were harsh words from the governor for those who didn’t find a way to move traffic off of the road or around the event; as well there should have been!
But it doesn’t change the fact that we are a car-centered culture and sometimes, particularly on large, busy interstate highways, people just get trapped.
Their cars are stuck because of landslides or snowstorms, hurricanes or care crashes.
And when this happens, there are a few things to consider.
Cars run out of fuel. Or electricity. Particularly when using lots of AC or heat.
When people are stuck overnight, they can suffer from the effects of heat or cold.
People don’t routinely load their cars with stockpiles of water, food, blankets, toilet paper or other hygiene items.
Especially on what one might consider a relatively short trip, say a couple of hours, folks may not have critical medications like insulin. Family members might need pain medication. The list is long
There are usually no restrooms. Getting out of the car and going to the woods could be a simple thing, or as in WV, akin to a little casual mountaineering. Injuries could certainly happen.
When the highway is packed, EMS and police struggle to get to those in need. This could also make it very difficult to land a helicopter for a trauma, heart attack, stroke or other medical emergency.
Honestly, crimes could happen. Robbery or violence could occur. On a highway with little access to outside help, one could be pretty vulnerable.
I don’t know who has plans for this, but it might require local EMS on foot, bicycles, motorcycle, ATV or even horse-back to respond and sort through things.
It certainly would be worth having local homes offer help to those afflicted.
This could be a wonderful opportunity for churhes to take supplies to people stranded, or if possible, to offer them the church or homes for the night. (Or even a safe parking lot.)
It seems to me this would be a great use for drone technology to monitor the situation. National guard units could be set up to use this in such situations; this way they could assess needs.
Maybe while traveling it would be helpful to keep markers and paper to tape to the top of the car. Need medications! Need water! Need 911!
I’m just brainstorming this.
Please share your thoughts or expertise in the comments!
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