President's Point: November 2018

November is here, and that means Thanksgiving. This often means travel, either for family coming home or going to visit family. Please plan road trips with weather in mind. Give yourself plenty of time to get to destination safely. Also plan for an unexpected stay if weather gets so bad you cannot continue to drive. Numerous roadway injuries and fatalities occur due to a driver trying to push his or her limits when fatigue and weather are against them. It would be better to arrive a day late and alive than to continue your journey because you do not have money to pay for hotel and end up dead.

Please ensure you have packed a travel safety kit in your vehicle. This kit can contain a variety of items, but at minimum should contain a heavy blanket, flashlight and long lasting foodstuffs that can be eaten without being cooked and can be frozen, yet still able to eat. Once items are in your kit, you most likely will them leave in car until spring. Examples of said food items are hard candy, nuts, beef-jerky, raisins, etc. You might think packing some bottled water is a good idea. Well it is not... see the point about once the kit is in the car you will leave there. Water in a car parked outside in North Dakota will freeze, most likely rupturing the container, thus getting the other items in the kit wet once car warms up and the water melts.

The best method to obtain water when stuck in a ditch is to melt snow in metal container such as a coffee can placed on the dashboard when you run your car engine occasionally. The American Automobile Association (AAA) put out a Safety Hints bulletin years ago, with the suggestion to run your car engine for 10 minutes every half hour. Other recommendations are out there for the public to determine the methods best for them. For example, a briefed recommendation by the safety staff at an Air Force Base where I was stationed recommended running the vehicle for 5 minutes every 15 minutes once you are stuck. This avoids the car cabin from getting extremely cold, and by starting the car more often ensures the engine will stay warm for an easier start when needed. If you notice, this cycle is still the ten minutes every 30 minutes duration of the AAA recommendation. Regardless of the cycle of running your car engine you will want to ensure the exhaust pipe stays clear by checking it for ice build-up and drifting snow. Also, remember AAA and other agencies recommend to stay with your vehicle once you are stuck.

Enough on car safety. North Dakotans are familiar with being snowbound for a few days at a time, but until that first storm, we tend to forget a few items in our home safety kits. Please check your home kits for items you feel you must have now, before that first big storm. A few items of note are two or three containers to hold water such as drink pitchers. Upon notification of possible storm, fill these containers with potable water and set aside. Remember, per the World Health Organization, the average human should have access to at least a half-gallon of water per day. The safety experts in the Air Force recommended a gallon per person per day for hygiene, cooking and extra use. Regardless of your choice of a gallon or half-gallon per human in household, you should store enough water to last you three days. Have a flashlight with spare batteries and a battery operated radio available. If you plan on using candles, make sure you have safe place where a candle flame cannot cause a fire.

You will also want to keep plenty of matches available. Available food should be able to be eaten without cooking. Examples include canned tuna, canned fruits, or fresh fruits or vegetables that can be eaten raw.

One last point about this November, the midterm elections are Tuesday, Nov. 6. Please do your civic duty and vote.