Most of us understand how critical our transportation routes are in and out of southern California; however, few of us ever stop to think what a potential problem it could be if one or more of these were completely shut down. Last week, hundreds of thousands of California motorists, including the author of this comment, got to experience firsthand exactly what this looks like and just how important it is to keep a “go bag” in your vehicle, access information in a timely manner, and always have a backup plan.
Severe weather and flash flooding hit the northern perimeter of Los Angeles County last Thursday which caused an absolute mess on the roads. Miles of mudslides caused the north and southbound routes of Interstate 5 to close along with highway 58 which runs from Mojave to Bakersfield and is an alternative route to I-5 for southern California travelers. These are two of the four major northbound exit routes that a person can take out of southern California (along with the 101 and 395) and for them to be closed was a significant problem!
The following news clip provides an excellent synopsis of the seriousness of this recent weather event. It is also a great reminder to all of us that become complacent with our “sunny and seventy-five” weather that we are by no means exempt from these types of incidents and must always be prepared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvfWfZGgraI
If you have not prepared a “go bag” yet for your vehicle, the following link may be helpful in getting you started:
http://www.wellness.uci.edu/facultystaff/UCI-RA-Flyer.pdf
Also, if you find yourself stuck on the highway due to weather-related interruption you should be sure to download the “Caltrans” app for route closures and “SigAlert” app for traffic reports. AM radio is always a “go to” as well for these situations.
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