Drivers Still Stuck in Snowstorm that Narrowly Missed New York

As you're reading this, many drivers down in Virginia are STILL stuck on I-95 after a freezing night at a standstill on the highway.

We're gonna get it sooner or later. The temperature has certainly been doing its job, but a substantial snowstorm has yet to hit the Hudson Valley this season. The same can't be said for our southern neighbors. From Georgia all the way up to New Jersey, inches and inches of snow fell yesterday, and in Virginia, disaster struck.

Pardon the pun, but a perfect storm hit I-95 outside of Fredericksburg, and as of this morning, hundreds of drivers were STILL stuck on the highway. Not only was the snow quickly covering the roads, but a massive tractor-trailer crash ground traffic to a halt, and it stayed that way. As of 10am, cars we still at a standstill. Being stranded is never fun, but add sub-zero temperatures, and things could get dangerous fast. I still remember the fateful day I narrowly avoided a similar situation...

Back in 2011, a massive snowstorm struck the northeast. I was living in New York, but working in Danbury, Connecticut. Since I was on a radio station, I was the first to get the news that Connecticut was preparing to declare a state of emergency, effectively closing all roads and restricting travel. I never left an office faster. I wasn't about to be stranded in a different state with nowhere to stay. But 84 was a disaster. In fact, they were closing it as I was driving on it, and if I didn't make an illegal U-turn and take a local exit, I would have been stranded for hours, much like our neighbors in Virginia.

In Virginia, the snow kept emergency crews from being able to effectively remove the debris and damaged trucks from the crash, and drivers were forced to spend the cold night in their vehicles. Some truckers, who were more prepared for these types of emergencies, distributed their back-up food rations to their "neighbors" on the road. Unfortunately, we can't always avoid being in these situations, but like the long-distance truckers, we can be a little more prepared.

Keep a first aid kit, blanket, water, and a few non-perishable food items in your car if possible. Much like having an emergency kit at home, it can help you out in a pinch if you ever find yourself stranded like our Virginian neighbors.