Editor’s note: This column was written prior to Friday’s earthquake but seems even more timely and crucial now.
If there is one thing I have learned since moving to Squamish eight months ago, it’s that the Sea to Sky highway is an unpredictable area.
With only one road connecting Squamish to Vancouver, all it takes is one accident or natural disaster and you could be separated from your home and your loved ones for an unknown amount of time.
After being caught on the wrong side of an incident not once, but twice over the past six months, the need for people to carry an emergency kit in their cars has become increasingly apparent to me.
On Dec. 14, a landslide of mud and trees tumbled from Magnesia Creek spilling debris across Highway 99 at the north end of Lions Bay.
For almost 24 hours, the highway was closed and I, like many others, was stuck on the Vancouver side of the landslide.
As I have mentioned in previous columns, I used to live in my van, so I had a bed to sleep in, something to cook my food with and only required a trip to the grocery store to be relatively comfortable for the night.
Similarly, on Feb. 9, when Highway 99 was blocked in both directions near Murrin Provincial Park for over six hours, I found myself stuck in a line of traffic that ran for kilometres.
Returning from a trip to Costco, both myself and my partner were able to wait out the closure with food, water and basic comforts.
But others were not as lucky. On social media, many people were commenting on Facebook pages asking for water or food or blankets to keep warm in the below-zero temperatures.
Now with Highway 99 closures being at least a bi-yearly occurrence, particularly during winter, I can’t help but wonder why more people don’t carry an emergency kit in their car.
According to the Government of 小蓝视频, it is recommended drivers pack an emergency “grab-and-go” kit for their vehicle. This kit should include:
•Food (ready to eat) and water
•Phone charger and battery bank
•Small battery-powered or hand-crank radio
•Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight
•Extra batteries
•Small first-aid kit and personal medications
•Personal toiletries and items, such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses
•Copy of your emergency plan
•Copies of important documents, such as insurance papers and identification
•Cash in small bills
•Local map with your family meeting place identified
•Seasonal clothing including extra clothing if possible, proper footwear, and an emergency blanket or sleeping bag
•Pen and notepad
•Whistle
•Help/OK signs to display the appropriate side outward in your car window during an emergency
Other emergency vehicle supplies include a windshield scraper, a lighter, shovel and traction mat, battery jumper cables and a tow rope.
Using the little amount of space in your car required for an emergency kit is a small price to pay if it means you can be more comfortable if and when the next Highway 99 closure comes.
