We Coped With Flooding, Now Be Prepared - For Snow - Problems and Solutions from cars to clothes and food

Flooding
Last time when we had flooding, in 1984, in the Harrow area, public-spirited people were in Hatch End main street, called The Broadway, with their 4 by 4s, towing cars which were stuck in the floods. We have lots of cars and trucks and people stuck doing nothing who would be only too glad to help.

Commentators say Torbay and Exeter are fully gritted and lack of snow clearing in London, England, and elsewhere is due to mismanagement.

So, for snow preparedness, we need these actions:
1 Volunteer co-ordination.

2 Sponsored grit.

3 Cheap devices to buy or hire to attach to vehicles which would otherwise be stuck.

4 Not everybody can rush out and buy and fit grips to boots and winter tyres. We need systems on cars which deploy automatically to suit snow or clear snow.

5 We need shoes with two modes, or winter attachments, so you buy the boots or shoes with a removable snow and ice weather undersole.

6 When will somebody invent a cheap device which anybody can fit on cars and vans and trucks so that the big companies like Tesco with large vehicle can do their part in clearing roads in front of them.

7 All car drivers should be able to buy or hire snow clearing shovels which can clear snow off as they drive down their own front drive and the side roads so the first light sprinkling of snow doesn't set to ice. No good clearing the M4 if I can't even walk from my front door to the road and down the road to the shops, nor or drive down the road to Tesco.

What do other countries do/ Canada, for example? What do ski resorts do?

What can you do?

1 Salt / suitable grit on your doorstep and the path and that of elderly neighbours. (Order online.)

2 Check your shoes and boots for waterproof and gripping underneath. (Or Order online.)

3 Get home delivery of food.
In the UK home delivery from:
Amazon (if you already have Amazon Prime.)
Morrisons
Ocado - £20 off first shop (over £80), and free delivery.
Tesco
https://www.ocado.com/content/20-off-your-first-shop-

4 Plan car-pooling.
Put blankets in car. Plus a pillow or neck pillow.
Fully charge phones.
Take phone charger which attaches to car to keep mobile phones fully charged.

Food
Pack thermos of hot drink or soup.
Pack a cheese or vegetarian sandwich.
Wear warm clothes in case you are stuck in car.

Information
Tell family where and when you are going.
Entertainment
Take music, book or entertainment, for sitting in a traffic jam, or waiting for yourself or another in hospital.
Clothes
Wear warm clothes in case you are called outside to help somebody else, or to move a fallen tree or branch in your drive, or across the road in front of your car.

5 Meetings And Events - Plan B
Arrange for somebody nearby to leave notice on door of meeting if it is cancelled.
Move meeting to a pub which has a supply of food and drink in case you get snowed in.
Arrange at which time events will be cancelled so people further away don't set off an hour early to find that the event is cancelled half an hour before it was due to start.
Arrange backup meetings - two people living nearby can meet each other at one person's house, so the one with the big vehicle travels less far and the one with the least equipped vehicle does not have to travel at all.
In case the heating fails, organisers might carry in their cars spare small fan heaters.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.