Thousands stranded on Kentucky highways for nearly 24 hours

[mick silver]

Thousands stranded on Kentucky highways for nearly 24 hourshttp://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/04/21/image001-png_162613.png (http://www.ap.org/) By BRUCE SCHREINER and ADAM BEAM 4 minutes ago











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Larry Weas spent a cold night hunkered down in his car after getting caught in a logjam along Interstate 65 in Kentucky. To conserve fuel during his 11-hour ordeal, he kept his car turned off for long stretches and scooped snow into a bucket to have something to drink. A stranded couple gave him a bottle of Gatorade and candy until a rescue worker took him to town.



"This has been a lesson of survival," said the 54-year-old Elizabethtown man, who is diabetic.
Thousands of stranded motorists endured agonizingly long waits Thursday — some lasting nearly 24 hours — as a winter storm walloped Kentucky with up to 2 feet of snow and frustrated travelers dealt with gas tanks and stomachs close to empty.
The massive traffic jam stretched for about 26 miles, from just north of Elizabethtown past Shepherdsville. There were no reports of storm-related deaths or widespread power outages.
Still, National Guard soldiers and emergency workers were dispatched to make safety checks on the frustrated travelers.
"You see miles and miles of tail ends and tail ends. It's not a very good sight," National Guard Spc. Jeriel Clark said as his group of soldiers handed out food and water while patrolling along snowbound Interstate 24 in far western Kentucky.
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(http://news.yahoo.com/photos/traffic-backs-more-50-miles-interstate-65-southbound-photo-182802646.html)Traffic backs up as more than 50 miles of Interstate 65 southbound is shut down from the weather, Th …

By Thursday evening, state highway officials said interstate routes in Kentucky were open again. On Friday morning, they warned motorists to drive cautiously. Despite plowing and treating roadways, some still have packed snow and subfreezing temperatures made for icy conditions. Accidents along I-65 were slowing traffic in central Kentucky.
Flooding was likely to be a threat in some parts of the state hit worst by the snow. With rising temperatures, the snow could melt and become a hazard. The Department of Transportation said high water was blocking some roads in eastern Kentucky, which hampered efforts to remove snow.
Gov. Steve Beshear said flash flooding was the bigger concern, not river flooding.
Overnight into Thursday, Kenny Thompson huddled in his car on I-65 with snacks he grabbed for a trip home to Louisville. His smartphone kept him connected to his family.
Thompson said people would dash quickly out of their cars to go to the bathroom, even hiding behind cars.
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(http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ever-padilla-uses-snow-blower-try-keep-sidewalks-photo-213413909.html)Ever Padilla, right, uses a snow blower to try to keep the sidewalks clear, as the snow continues to …

"There's no privacy out here," said Thompson.
Among the stranded along I-65 were the Rev. Jesse Jackson's wife and other members of his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition staff. The group was on its way to join Jackson in Selma, Alabama, for this weekend's events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
At one point, they walked 2 miles to buy snacks at a gas station that was quickly running out of food. She said a nearby McDonald's had already closed because it ran out of food.
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Associated Press Writer Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.


Natural Phenomena
Nature & Environment
Kentucky


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View Comments (168)

[EE_]

Glad everyone enjoyed themselves.
It's not about the drive, it's the adventure!
Why else would you go out on the Interstate in a major snowstorm that was made very public on the news?
To make it even more fun and exciting, many people go out in the snowstorm with no survival supplies at all.
A good time was had by all and a great story to tell too!

[Dogman]

Agreed EE.

One question comes to mind and that is , were there any lessons learned that will stick with the ones that got into that mess? Think some will learn a good life lesson, while others will not learn zilch.

Have been working and living over the years in west Texas and south Co.that it was very common for people to have and carry an emergency kit in their vehicles because they know the weather can snap turn and they can become stranded, or have a breakdown, and most that had to be on the road to do their jobs did carry those kits.

I did a emergency hot shot repair job up in Riverton Wyoming back in the day, when i got there the locals were expecting the first major winter storms to hit within a day or so. Drove out to the lease and the guy I met that took me to the location to do the repair. When done we jawed a bit and noticed he has a beat up saddle and pack in the back of his truck. I asked him and found out he was a working cowboy and did oil field work also and the saddle was his working one that lived in the back of his truck and the pack was his emergency kit so if trapped because of weather he could just camp out he said everyone in the area carried one.

Working far flung oil leases miles from anything and an between a bunch of nothing, we all carried extra water and food in case of breakdowns, (before cell phones) where you may not see another person for hours or even days, so it was standard to carry a kit.

[EE_]

Agreed EE.

One question comes to mind and that is , were there any lessons learned that will stick with the ones that got into that mess? Think some will learn a good life lesson, while others will not learn zilch.

Have been working and living over the years in west Texas and south Co.that it was very common for people to have and carry an emergency kit in their vehicles because they know the weather can snap turn and they can become stranded, or have a breakdown, and most that had to be on the road to do their jobs did carry those kits.

I did a emergency hot shot repair job up in Riverton Wyoming back in the day, when i got there the locals were expecting the first major winter storms to hit within a day or so. Drove out to the lease and the guy I met that took me to the location to do the repair. When done we jawed a bit and noticed he has a beat up saddle and pack in the back of his truck. I asked him and found out he was a working cowboy and did oil field work also and the saddle was his working one that lived in the back of his truck and the pack was his emergency kit so if trapped because of weather he could just camp out he said everyone in the area carried one.

Working far flung oil leases miles from anything and an between a bunch of nothing, we all carried extra water and food in case of breakdowns, (before cell phones) where you may not see another person for hours or even days, so it was standard to carry a kit.

Anyone with half a brain carries provisions in the wintertime. Even here in the mild winters I carry extra gloves, carhart jump suit, hats, hoodies and water. It kills me to see people get trapped on the road in snow with only their high heels, or dress shoes to wear. Who knows when someone is going to slam into you and put your car out of commision. If the system ever goes down, many of these people will be cleared from the earth.
I should add, summer heat can be just as dangerous.

[madfranks]

I think it was winter '08-09, that I, along with hundreds/thousands of others got stranded on the highway up near Boulder, Colorado during a massive snow storm like this. Down the highway a bus had drifted sideways and tipped over, blocking the entire highway, and the snow was piling up higher and higher. After a few hours sitting on the road it was obvious we weren't getting out, so I hunkered down and prepared myself to wait it out. I had enough fuel so I would turn the car off until it got close to freezing, then turn it back on maxing out the heater for a few minutes to warm everything back up. My most vivid memory of this whole thing was just watching the snow get deeper and deeper on the road, it was really coming down. We weren't that far from a big shopping mall, so they declared the mall an emergency shelter and road workers were walking car to car, directing folks to hike to the mall. Tons of people got out of their cars and hiked up to the mall, but I opted to wait it out. I had my emergency backpack in the back of my car, so I was going to be ok. The only thing I even used in the backpack was the water. I didn't get hungry at all, and never needed anything else. Eventually they were able to clear the shoulder of the road and I was able to work my way out of all the abandoned cars and make my way to a friend's house who lived in the area (my wife agreed that I should stay with them instead of risk the drive home). The next day I woke up and all of our cars were literally buried in snow. It was a crazy experience, but I'm glad I didn't panic and had my provisions with me.

[mick silver]

hell we had over 15 ins of snow here before the snow we had almost 3 ins of rain . it took us almost 6 hours to clear the drive leading back to our place and most of that was done with the help of a tractor . last night it got down to 15 below . sun out now . sick of seeing snow this year and cold . just glad I lay in 10 cords of firewood I went though over half of that , I have never used this much wood till this year . plus we always keep a winter bag in cars and trucks ... a coffee can with sand and a big ass candle in it

[Ponce]

Meanwhile.........went to my Dr yesterday in the big town and when I came out by 3 PM it was so hot that I had to open up all the windows in my car...it has been three beautifull days of sunny weather down here.........only problem, now snow this year and that tells me that is going to be a dry summer and I can see water war in the future, lucky for me I do have two water tanks that will last me about six months.

V

[Cebu_4_2]

we always keep a winter bag in cars and trucks ... a coffee can with sand and a big ass candle in it

Forget the sand, use wood ash it works like magic. Try it once and you'll know what I mean.

[Horn]

Sounds like a custard pie in Lexington


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2WzZ1gZjj4

[ximmy]

al gore warned us about this.

[Horn]

al gore warned us about this.

No singing in snowshoes, please.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XpDZhrNqnM