Safety First or Surviving the Buffalo Blizzard

December 23, 2022: As I sit here nice and toasty in my daughter’s Buffalo apartment listening to the blizzardy winds blowing between the houses, I can’t help but wonder about the countless people who are houseless today trying to ride out this storm in their vehicles. This first leg of my journey keeps me relatively safe while still up north with family. And, this epic weather can’t help but be the exclamation point on why I want to head for sunnier skies. I must say, though, my awareness of and empathy toward those who don’t choose to live without a house has increased. Finding and connecting with others who value the nomadic life has been a gift. These groups, though, highlight two very different realities – the reality of many who desire the houseless lifestyle and the reality of so very many others who have no choice.

Overall, my family and friends, and most importantly my daughter, have been encouraging and enthusiastic about my lifestyle change. There is one overriding theme I am hearing, though – “just be safe”. As you might imagine, much of the past four months has been spent researching what goes into living life out of a car. I’ve come up with a few safety measures and it will be interesting to see how they work, or don’t, as time goes by.

Keeping Safe on the Road

#1 Maintain stability of mind and do not panic no matter the safety issue. Respond to situations rather than react to them.

#2 Stay indoors or drive away from area if there is a weather-related emergency.

#3 Be aware of surroundings at all times (no looking down at phone while walking through parking lots!).

#4 Carry a fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detector in vehicle.

#5 Be informed about carbon monoxide. Fight the urge to use a lot of appliances, including those run on propane or butane, inside a vehicle

#6 Don’t unlock vehicle until hand is on door handle; lock car immediately upon getting in. Every. Time.

#7 Hang solar motion detector flood lights from windows.

#8 Keep safety whistle, stun gun & pepper spray (not sold everywhere) at hand at all times.

#9 Share location with at least one family member on phone (difficult for those of us who value privacy).

#10 Provide family members with itinerary.

#11 Don’t stay at truck stops.

#12 Carry a purse or bag that has external hard drive, passwords, wallet, phone, extra car key. Hide extra credit card in car.

#13 Put up privacy window coverings so no one can see inside vehicle, even when in a parking lot.

#14 Do not exit vehicle at any time if parking overnight in a place that is not a campground.

#15 Stay primarily at campgrounds.

UPDATE: December 26, 2022: I began writing this column during the early stages of the storm (Blizzard of 2022) on Friday, thinking it was a clever way to tie in nomadic safety to the current weather crises here in Western New York. I can tell you now, reader, that I have never been as frightened by weather as I was Friday night listening to the wind outside my daughter’s apartment. The wind was fierce, unrelenting, and hurricane fast, shaking the house so hard I thought it would just fly away. An old, midcentury window had iced over on the inside by early evening, and with every crack and blast of bitter cold breathing into the room, I anticipated the window exploding. How it didn’t, I will never know. By 4 a.m. I had put on my noise cancelling headphones to get a few hours of sleep.

The power had been out since 3:30 p.m. Friday and we had draped the living room windows and doorway with blankets. By early Saturday we had moved our living quarters into my daughter’s bedroom. Our downstairs neighbors brought us a warm breakfast, although we were all cautious about using our gas ranges. My off-grid portable battery of 1000 watt hours kept phones charged for us all, and other camping gear came in handy. We did try the heater…but…too many watts! Using our pets and one another for warmth, we made it until Sunday around 2 – it was a Christmas miracle to have heat again.

We are now hearing the stories of folks who were not lucky enough to be indoors during this blizzard. So many lost power. So many got trapped. The storm came fast with its fury. As Buffalonians, we usually believe with any storm we’ll have at least an hour or two leeway. If the storm starts at 7 a.m., we figure we can still run out and get some groceries. Not so, this time.

Two of the Facebook groups I belong to are for women travelers who live or camp frequently in their vehicles. As the arctic cold surged across the country this past week, a great many sisters reached out to the tens of thousands of women who are members of these groups. Strangers offered homes, bedrooms, driveways with electric, warm meals and more. There are other stories locally of heroic rescues and small kindnesses that make every difference. Indeed, a warm breakfast made a huge difference in our lives. So now, I offer tip #16…

#16 Don’t forget, we are a community, all of us, everywhere.