Nebraska’s Worst Roads to Drive on During a Disaster: A Survivalist’s Hard-Learned Lessons
I’ve driven across deserts where the air could melt rubber, crossed frozen mountain passes where one wrong turn meant an icy death, and crawled through swamps that swallowed tires whole. But nowhere tests your nerves in a disaster like the flat, deceivingly gentle landscapes of Nebraska. It’s a land that hides danger in its simplicity. When the storm hits or the grid goes down, the Cornhusker State becomes a maze of impassable roads, blackouts, and waterlogged ditches.
I’ve spent years on the move, teaching myself how to survive behind the wheel. So take it from someone who’s had a few too many close calls—if you’re trying to get out of Dodge when all hell breaks loose in Nebraska, there are certain roads you’d do best to avoid. But even more importantly, you need to know how to drive when the rules no longer apply.
Let’s dig into the worst roads in Nebraska to be caught on during a crisis, then I’ll walk you through 15 survival driving skills to keep you alive, and 3 emergency hacks when the gas runs dry.
Nebraska’s Disaster-Prone Roads to Avoid
These roads might seem fine under clear skies, but when things turn south—floods, storms, civil unrest, or fuel shortages—they become traps.
1. Highway 275 (Between Norfolk and Fremont)
Flood-prone with poor drainage and aging bridges. One good storm and you’ll find yourself in a watery grave or stuck in an endless reroute.
2. Interstate 80 (Especially Omaha to Lincoln)
It’s a straight shot through the state, and that’s the problem. In a disaster, it’s a magnet for traffic jams, accidents, and panicked evacuees. You’ll be a sitting duck.
3. Highway 6
This two-lane route clogs quickly in emergencies and floods in spring storms. Visibility drops, and the ditch depth can flip your vehicle if you’re not careful.
4. Highway 20 (The Bridges to Nowhere)
In northern Nebraska, the infrastructure can’t handle a deluge. Rural bridges get washed out, and there’s nobody coming to fix them during a statewide disaster.
5. Highway 2 through the Sandhills
Beautiful terrain but treacherous when wet or snowy. No cell service for miles, and breakdowns here mean you’re truly alone.
6. Loup River Valley Roads
These scenic byways turn into mud pits. You’ll sink before you see a soul. Not worth the risk unless you’re packing a winch and 72-hour rations.
15 Survival Driving Skills That Can Save Your Life
If you’ve ever driven in chaos—roads crumbling, people panicking—you know it takes more than guts. It takes skill. These are the moves that have saved me time and again.
1. Threshold Braking
Keep your tires just at the edge of locking. Perfect for wet, icy, or loose gravel situations.
2. Skid Recovery
Turn into the skid, don’t fight it. Let the tires catch naturally. Fighting it just sends you sideways into a ditch.
3. Situational Awareness
Constantly scan your environment. Don’t fixate. One eye on the road, the other on potential threats or alternate exits.
4. Low-Speed Maneuvering
When debris or stalled cars block your path, crawling through tight spaces with precision becomes your ticket out.
5. Hand Signals for Low Visibility
When tail lights are useless in smoke or blackout conditions, knowing and using hand signals for convoy communication is vital.
6. Driving Without Headlights (Stealth Mode)
You don’t always want to be seen. Learn to drive with just enough dash light and moonlight when needed.
7. River Crossing Assessment
If you have to ford water, check depth with a stick and look for current. Never cross a flowing stream above your axle unless it’s life or death.
8. Run-Flat Tire Management
Learn how to keep rolling on compromised tires, and pack tire sealant and an air compressor.
9. High-Centering Recovery
Get off the hump by letting air out of your tires slightly and using traction aids like sand ladders or even floor mats.
10. Using Terrain for Cover
Avoid ambushes or flying debris by hugging terrain contours or parking behind natural barriers.
11. Rearview Bluff
Make your vehicle look like it’s been stripped or burned to deter looters—blackened windows, fake smoke damage, or broken glass on the dash.
12. Car Barricade Breaching
Know how to slowly push aside a stalled vehicle (or other obstruction) without damaging your radiator. Go low, push near the rear quarter panel.
13. Fuel Conservation Driving
Drive in high gear, avoid rapid acceleration, and coast when possible. Every drop counts when the pumps are dry.
14. Defensive Driving Under Fire
Not metaphorical—real bullets. Zigzag, use obstacles as shields, and never stop in the open. Reverse can be just as fast as drive.
15. Escape Route Mapping
Always know three ways out: one obvious, one hidden, one crazy. Think fences you can smash, alleys, or even train tracks.
3 DIY Driving Hacks When You’re Out of Gas
Now let’s talk worst-case: you’re stranded. No gas, no AAA, just a quiet Nebraska road and a long night ahead. Here are three bushcraft-meets-automotive tricks I’ve used in the field.
1. Siphon Every Drop (Even From Yourself)
Keep a siphon hose and fuel-safe container. You’d be shocked how much fuel’s left in “dead” cars, lawn equipment, even abandoned tractors. Pro tip: rural properties often keep fuel tanks near barns. Respect private property, but survival is survival.
2. DIY Ethanol Booster
Corn country, right? If you’re desperate, ethanol or moonshine can work in small doses for older vehicles (pre-2001). Never run it straight, but you can mix it 10–20% with existing gasoline to eke out a few miles. Don’t try this in modern fuel-injected vehicles with sensors—they’ll hate it.
3. Roll and Glide Technique
Find a decline and coast. Seriously. Every foot helps. Push the vehicle onto a slope, shift into neutral, and use that to gain distance or even line of sight to rescue or fuel. Gravity never runs out.
Final Thoughts from a Road-Hardened Nomad
Nebraska’s beauty is deceptive. It looks like open country, a straight shot to safety. But under the pressure of disaster, those long roads twist into traps. With water rushing over bridges, winds flattening fields, and desperate people doing desperate things—you need more than horsepower. You need skill, planning, and a cool head.
I’ve driven out of wildfires, riots, and once, a Category 4 hurricane. But the loneliest and scariest escape I ever made was in the Nebraska Sandhills, with only a half tank of gas, a busted alternator, and the radio dead from EMP interference. I made it out by knowing when to drive, when to hide, and when to ditch the road entirely.
So next time you’re topping off your tank or checking your map, ask yourself: If the world went dark today, would I know how to drive my way out?
If you’re not sure, start practicing. Because in a real disaster, Google Maps won’t save you. But your skills just might.
TheDailyChristian 