Where were you on March 5?

Were you at work? Did you have an appointment? Did you need to make a sales call, a support visit, do training? Did you have to travel at all? No! Lucky you!
I had to visit my client's site to review their new product. It's a 113km mostly highway trek down the 400 to Toronto. "So what", you might ask.

The morning of March 5, 2007 started out quite sunny but the afternoon saw the worst snow storm of the season. White-out conditions were complete, the car that was nicely distanced in front of you was instantly gone and through the blanket of white was their just visible break lights that where closing in quickly. It was a frightening drive. Not only was it a blizzard, it was cold, dipping down to -23 in the evening.

This is the week my husband was away on government training. I am playing single-mommy CEO for the week. I know, it is only a week and there are plenty of people that have to do this every day, all the time. I have great respect for them especially after all the effort I had to go through the make this one day go off without a hitch. So how does a single-mommy CEO prepare to be out of town during the worst snowstorm of the season?

Make Arrangements for the Kids
First you have to make arrangement for the kids in case you make it down to your destination and do not make it back. As it was, the evening school buses where cancelled and many parents could not get to the schools to pick up their kids. We love to blame others for our hardships, but really the contingency plan should have been in place for any day of the school year especially this one that had been was foretold.
I had notified the school and the daycare that both my husband and I where out of town for the day. I arranged for several friends and family to be available if the school called anytime throughout the day. It was a lot of work just to make a 6 hour trip.

Make Arrangements to not get to the client's site
I told you the morning was sunny. On previous days there had been lots of rain. The rain continued on until the temperature dropped and then it changed to freezing rain. Everything was covered in a beautiful shimmering skin, including the roads and the CN Tower. I thought I would save time that day but avoiding the DVP, an infamously over-packed artery to the inner city and go across Lakeshore boulevard. What I didn't know was that the ice on the CN Tower was coming down in sheets large enough to break through windows and cause severe damage. The Gardner Expressway was closed as well as most of downtown, which increased the traffic on Lakeshore. I was going to be late. Luckily I had my client's direct phone number with me and my fully charged cell phone. When I called he had already heard the news and was anticipating the change in time.

Make Arrangements to not get Home
It is important to assume you may not make it home. This scenario is always a possibility with today's traffic, as our highways become more congested every year. In a snow storm the chances of an accident increase. In white-out conditions the number of vehicles involved in an accident can multiply making travel dangerous and stressful.
On this particular day highway 400 witnessed a mind-boggling 70 car pileup. There were some injured but mostly everyone was unscathed. One woman went into labour and made it to the hospital on time. This highway, the main artery for travelling North of Toronto, was closed in both directions for over ten hours, over night, in -23 degree white-out conditions. Many people where stuck idling on the highway, some spent the night in a local mall, and some braved the back roads to attempt to get home.
It is important to always have your emergency kit packed, an extra blanket, some food and water and a full tank of gas. I go to my meetings in business attire so it was also important to bring winter boots and a change of cloths so I wouldn't freeze if I had to be outside for any length of time.

Was I ready?
After my successful trip to visit my client in downtown Toronto I was at the site of this accident travelling North about 30 km/hr in a 100 km/hr zone as short as 30 minutes before the accident occurred. I could have been one of the hundreds of people that had to spend 4 hours or more traversing the countryside in search of a safe way home. At least if I had ended up behind the accident I know I would have been prepared, with my kids at my neighbour’s house, a blanket, a candle, some food and water, my cell phone and my PDA. Thank God I was not one of the people in the accident. I don't want to have to test my preparedness I just want to be prepared. Spending some time upfront will certainly relieve the stress of a bad situation later on.